Bang! Bang!
by EchoSerenade
Summary: Bang! I stumbled back as a bullet went whizzing past my ear. In another second, I felt one pierce through my shoulder and I fell backwards and laid there. Daryl/OC Trigger Warning
1. Protection

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own The Walking Dead. This applies to the entire story._

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE: PROTECTION**

 _Bang!_

I stumbled back as a bullet went whizzing past my ear. In another second, I felt one pierce through my shoulder and I fell backwards and laid there.

...

Today had been a terrible day. A herd of the living dead had ambushed me and I had killed as many as I could. Unfortunately, I had grown careless and wasn't aware of where I was positioned. My right foot slipped against the wet soil and I tumbled down the steep hill. A sharp branch that was sticking up from the ground stabbed through my calf as I rolled. The blood had attracted the dead towards me and they dropped down in a painful plunge.

I groped around for my knife, but I must've lost it during the fall. I cursed and scooted backwards until the other side of the rocky cliff hit my back. I really thought that I was going to die then and there, but with one last burst of hope, I managed to grab on to a thick branch and rammed it into the closest one before kicking the second with my good leg. I killed the third and tried to climb the cliff. It was impossible with only one leg.

When I heard how close the other deads were, gave up climbing and sat there, trying to kill as many of them as I could. "Damn it!" I cursed, again. I was tired and the pain in my leg was becoming unbearable. "Why. Won't you. All. Just. _DIE_!" I plunged the stick into the last dead one and slumped to the side.

Now what?

I sighed and slowly got to one leg. I couldn't just die here. I had made it this long.

I gritted my teeth and started to climb, again. It was going to be a very long day.

As the sun began to set, I finally made it to the top. It was one of the most excruciating experience. I laid on the ground for at least half an hour before I began my trek.

There had been several of the dead scattered amongst the forest, but I managed to kill them before they could get to me. Who knew branches could be so useful?

Eventually, I saw a farmhouse with lights turned on. I felt relief burst from inside me. There was probably someone alive there! Most of the residencies that I had encountered were run down, but this house was still rather pristine and there were already twice-killed deads around the perimeter.

I quickly limped towards it with excitement. I was going to be saved! I was going to be saved! I was going to be sa -

...

"Why is she staying 'ere?" An annoyed voice woke me up.

I groaned and rolled over before wincing when I agitated the shoulder wound.

"You're the only one who's not sharing a tent with anyone. You know Hershel won't let any of us stay in the house and we don't know if we can trust her, yet. We can't let her near Carl." This one was a woman.

The man let out a frustrated shout and kicked something before storming in. He stared at me as I looked back at him with wide eyes.

He groaned and walked back out. "She's awake!"

The woman walked in and cautiously looked at me. "Hey," she said. From the dim light, I could see that her hair was grey with streaks of white. "How are you feeling?"

I swallowed and replied with a hoarse voice. "'M alive, aren't I?"

"Oh, got ourselves a foreigner," the man said from behind the woman.

I glared at him. "Just because I bloody have an accent that's not like yours doesn't necessarily mean I'm a foreigner. I've been here for five years."

He rolled his life before walking away. "Five years," he mumbled. "Foreigner."

"Sorry about him," the woman said with an apologetic smile on her face. "I'm Carol."

"Sydney."

"Are you with anyone?"

I shook my head.

After the outbreak, I had lost them, one by one. We were never prepared for this and we didn't have any guns. We never needed them back in London and we never got used to it when we moved to the States. It seemed to have bitten us in the ass - quite literally.

"I've been by myself for a while," I told her. "And I have no intentions to hurt anyone. I'm not even armed, anymore."

"Anymore?" the man spoke from outside.

I warily eyed the crossbow in his hand. "I was attacked by the dead - a mob of them. I had a dagger with me, but when I fell down a hill and..." I gestured to my leg. "I dropped it somewhere."

"How did you survive?" the woman asked with a frown as she checked my leg.

I shrugged. "Dumb luck? Resourceful? Who knew fallen branches could be so useful?"

The man snorted, but a small grin appeared on his face. I took it as a sign of approval and grinned back at him. He looked down before turning his back to me.

"Hey!" A blonde woman ran to the man with wide eyes. "I heard that she's awake."

The man lifted up the tent flap a little more.

She knelt down beside me and looked as if she was going to cry. "You're so young," she whispered. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. It's all my fault. I was on the lookout and... you were limping, so I just... I thought you were a walker."

I tilted my head. "Walker? Those dead people?"

"Yeah."

I nodded my head absentmindedly. Walker... What an interesting name for them.

"I really didn't mean to shot you," she said, again.

"Don't worry about it," I said without looking at her. It would've been great it she actually looked before shooting, but it was hard not to understand why she did it. The... walkers were dangerous and any hesitation could mean life or death. "I understand completely. If it were me, I'd probably do the same."

The blonde woman gave me a weak smile. "I'm Andrea."

"Sydney," I reciprocated before taking a glance at the man outside. "Who's he?"

"Him?" Andrea looked behind her to see the man still seemingly ignoring them. "That's Daryl. He's a bit of a... loner - keeps to himself a lot, but he's a good guy. Don't let him intimidate you too much."

I continued to curiously stare at him. "I won't."

"It's Shane that you have to worry about," she told me, looking at a man with a buzzed cut. "Try not to even approach him." With that warning, Andrea smiled at me and patted my hand before standing up to talk to Carol. "I'm going to tell Rick that she's alright. We'll probably have to talk to Hershel in the morning and see if he'll mind another mouth to feed."

Carol nodded and walked out with her.

After they left, I tried to relax. What was I going to do with this Hershel wasn't going to allow me to stay? Unless they had any weapons to spare for me, I wouldn't be able to survive for long. I needed a Plan B.

"Whattaya thinkin' so hard 'bout?" Daryl had finally decided to come in and he didn't look as angry as he did before.

"Nothing," I told him, shaking my head before trying to get out of the sleeping bag.

"'Nd whattaya think yer doin'?" he asked me with a frown on his face.

"This is your tent," I told him with a raise of an eyebrow. "I can sleep outside. I'm used to it."

He raised his eyebrow back at me. "And ya think I've never done that?"

"I didn't mean that!" I quickly replied. "Just that, you don't have to treat me like I'm disabled or anything."

He looked at my leg.

"My leg will be fine outside."

He shrugged. "Yer choice."

I smiled, but quickly winced when I pulled at the wound in my shoulder while trying to get up. Maybe moving around so much wasn't such a good idea, after all.

He sighed when he noticed the distress I was in and gently pushed me back down. "You're in no shape to move around."

"I don't want you to stay in the cold because of me."

"Cold? It never gets cold here." When I didn't yield, he rolled his eyes and sat down near the edge of the tent. "Better?"

I smiled back and him and nodded.

"Now, go sleep. You're disturbing me."

I closed my eyes. He was such an odd man… and the two women? They seemed like very nice people, but who was Hershel and Rick? Why did their opinions matter so much?

When I woke up the next day, Daryl was already gone. My shoulder and leg had gone stiff overnight. I began to rotate them slowly until I got the blood flowing before I slowly limped out of the tent.

Like many days in this place, the sun was shining brightly. I squinted at the sun in contempt. It was never so bright in London, but being in the sun now was better than being in the dark where the walkers could get you.

I looked around and saw many faces that I was unfamiliar with. It took them a while, but once they noticed me, they had all stopped and stared.

Carol jogged over with a smile and helped me towards the farmhouse where a much older man was standing. "That's Hershel. He's a doctor - kind of. More of a vet, but he's saved a couple of us already. If you can get his approval, you'll be able to stay here."

I nodded. If things didn't work out, I had planned to steal some weapons from them. They seemed to have plenty and probably wouldn't miss one or two. I was posted closest to Daryl, but I wasn't sure if I'd actually be able to get past him. Unfortunately, since I had been here, I had only seen his crossbow. No one else seemed to be carrying anything, but I had heard them whispering about the hidden stash.

"I'm sorry," the white-haired man said, shaking his head. "I can allow you to stay until you're healed, but after that, you'll have to go. I have enough mouths of feed. I don't need another draining my resources."

I understood his logic, but I had been hoping that it wouldn't come to this. I complacently nodded to him. "Thank you. I'll be out of your hair as soon as possible."

He nodded back at me in appreciation. He seemed glad that I had agreed without a fight.

I limped away with the help of Carol and sat near the camp where most of them seemed to reside.

"How'd it go?" a dark haired man asked as he walked towards us.

"She's only staying until she heals and can safely leave," Carol told him, sadly.

He nodded and turned to me. "I'm Rick. I can see if I can convince him to let you stay. We're just having the same trouble ourselves."

"I understand." I was tired of saying the same things over and over again. "Don't worry about it. Once I'm healed, I'll probably feel more comfortable by myself. I'm used to it." True that I was used to it, but I didn't want to be by myself, especially not in this Hell hole.

I limped away from Rick and returned to Daryl's tent. He wasn't there, so I made myself comfortable. I didn't see him around the farm and wondered where he had been.

Carol walked in to keep me company, or perhaps to keep an eye on me. It didn't matter. She liked to talk and I was happy just listening to all her little stories. Apparently, she had just lost her daughter in the forest and the walkers had ambushed them. They had been looking ever since.

Daryl seemed to be the most dedicated out of the group. I was surprised. He didn't seem to be someone who cared about other people, but I must've been completely wrong about him. Not the first time. I had put my trust in the wrong people before and every time, I'd see my friends and family die. I never seemed to learn, did I? I guess it was for the best that I go out alone, again. At least I know that I'd be with someone I'd trust - me.

For the next few days during my recovery, I mainly walked around, trying to find out where they were keeping the weapons. Eventually, I spied a black bag with several shiny gun barrels. Was that all they had?

I returned to the campsite and sat on the grass. Could I really steal from these people who had been so kind to me? They didn't have as many weapons as I thought they did, but... I just needed one. It didn't have to be a gun. It'd probably be better if it wasn't a gun. I needed something sharp. I contemplated using wood, but it was too fragile. The walkers were strong enough to break it. What else could I do?

Night had fallen and Daryl was still not back. I laid in front of the tent and looked at the stars. It was different being here where I didn't have to be afraid of my life every second. I didn't have to wake up every few minutes wondering if I was going to be eaten. I turned my head and saw where Daryl had parked his motorcycle. I slowly sat up and looked around me. The majority of the group seemed to be inside their tents sleeping and the only member awake was another older fellow named Dale. He seemed very kind, but I never bothered to approach him.

I never bothered to really approach anyone. They approached me - some select few, but soon, I pulled myself away a little more. Each time I said a little less because I know that eventually, I would never see them again. I couldn't afford to make friends here. It would hurt too much when I had to leave. I just needed to think for myself because I was the only one I could rely on.

I stood up and tested my leg. It was healing well. I needed to prepare for my leave.

Quietly, I groped around the bike and found that there was a back compartment behind the seat. I opened it and saw a gun and a knife inside along with several knick knacks that he had decided to keep, which included a pack of cigarettes, a lighter, and a pack of matches.

I slowly reached for the knife. It was probably the safest choice, as long as I didn't drop it like last time.

"It's my brother's."

My eyes widened and I quickly retracted my hand. I stared at the man in front of me who was casually leaning against a tree. "I... I wasn't... I mean..." I mentally cursed myself for not only getting caught, but also sounding like an idiot.

"Take it."

I looked at him with surprised. "But it's your brother's."

"Ya need it more than I do."

I couldn't tell what he was thinking right now. His expression was completely closed off. With my eyes still trained on him, I snatched the knife and closed the lid. "Thank you."'

He grunted and gestured to the tent. "Go sleep," he muttered before sitting with his back against the tree.

I slid the knife into my holster belt and slipped into the tent, but I couldn't sleep. I spent the entire night wondering how much longer I had. How many days until one of them finally catches me? I was so tired.

My hand slid over to the blade. Sometimes it would be so much easier to just end it. Not my problem anymore. I wouldn't have to see anyone else die nor would I have to worry that I was going to turn into one of them. It could be so easy.

 _"Promise me."_

 _"Promise that you'll live for us."_

 _"Never give up."_

I curled up into a ball and quietly sobbed into the sleeping bag. Why did I make that stupid promise? What was the point of living when there was nothing to live for?

...

Daryl woke up as the rising sun hit his face. He groaned and wiped his face in exhaustion. His back hurt and his legs were stiff. They just had to give his tent to that stupid girl. And it wasn't as if he could just leave her outside. He rubbed his face in annoyance. He couldn't wait until she was gone.

It wasn't as if she really annoyed him. He just wanted his privacy. He couldn't afford to form strong bonds with people. He had to protect himself, but sometimes, it was just so hard. He just had to get attached to Sophia and now, he couldn't let it go. He didn't even search for his brother for this long.

He let out one last yawn before getting to his feet. Time to get some breakfast. He picked up his crossbow and began to walk towards the forest to hunt. Maybe he'd get lucky together and actually get a live deer. He was getting a bit tired of squirrels.

Unfortunately, when he came back, the deer was missing, but he held three squirrels in his hands. He could still have a mini feast - if he didn't need to share it with the girl.

"Girl! Come out 'ere and 'elp me skin these babies," he called out to the direction of the tent. The least she could do was pull her weight. If she wasn't going to help him, then she wasn't going to get any.

When there was no reply after a few minutes, he tried again, wondering if she was still asleep and couldn't hear him "Girl?" He dropped the squirrels on the wooden stump table and slammed the knife into the trunk before peeking into the tent. "Girl?"

She was gone.

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE_

I hadn't actually planned to post this until I was finished a few of my other stories, but I'm sure a lot of other authors here have the same problem… I also just watched the mid-season premiere for Season 6 and it was bloody brilliant! So intense with the right about of emotional impact! I can't believe some of the stuff that happened!

Should I continue this story?

Also, would someone help me with a title? I'm absolutely rubbish with them.


	2. Mistaken, Again

**CHAPTER TWO: MISTAKEN, AGAIN**

I found a tree that I could probably stay in for a few days to keep away from the dead ones.

The sun was already starting to set and I could hear the walkers approaching. I had killed a stray previously and hung it through a tree branch. Hopefully, it would hide my scent from the rest of them and I'll be able to get a good night's sleep.

The tree was uncomfortable. I much preferred his sleeping bag to this, but what was a girl to do? I looked down and saw a couple of the walkers meandering around. Not a lot. There shouldn't be too much problem.

When morning arrived, there was still one stray wandering. I jumped down from the trees and easily stabbed its head. I stared at it for a moment, wondering if maybe I should use it to disguise myself, but I didn't want to carry it around. I had tried it before and the stench eventually made my stomach roll uncomfortably with nausea. Better to just leave it here.

I walked over to where I had previously fallen and looked down into the water. I could still see the small file of bodies where I had been trapped. Better not get too close to the edge.

I began to search around the foliage. I didn't stop until something shiny caught my eye. I picked up the blade with satisfaction. My old dagger. I slipped Daryl's dagger into the holster and kept my own in my hand.

I walked until I found a small, seemingly deserted town. I was going to need a backpack and some supplies. I had already used up my supplies before I found the farm. Hopefully this place still had enough for me to scavenge.

I found an intact bag near one of the corpses and quickly searched it. Nothing useful inside, so I dumped the content out and went on my way.

My first destination was the grocery store where I had taken several cans of food and bottles of water. I also managed to find several tubes of unused chap sticks. I licked my dry lips in contempt. I hated dry lips.

Next, I visited the pharmacy where a makeshift sign told me to grab anything that I needed. My lips quirked upward. It was heartening to know that even at times like these, there were still good people around, but they never last long.

 _"No! Please! She's only a child!"_

 _Bang!_

 _"No!"_

 _Bang!_

I shook my head of the screams and walked in. It was difficult to see without a flashlight, but since it was morning, there was enough light filtering through to make the aisles visible. I grabbed two bottles of pain killers, some bandages, a bottle of rubbing alcohol, and a bottle of antibiotics.

This would have to do for now. I didn't want to linger here for too long in the open. I'd need to find another tree elsewhere to stay.

"Hey!" I jumped and turned around with my knife ready to strike. "Whoa! Whoa!" The man held his hands up, one with a handgun. I noted the other gun in his holster. "Not here to hurt you. Was just heading to the bar," he said, pointing at a building behind me.

I stared at him.

"Are you staying anywhere?"

I continued to gaze at him warily. It wouldn't be wise to tell them that I was alone and I wasn't sure how they would react if they thought I had other people with me.

He must've come to a conclusion on his own because he slowly relaxed his arm to his sides and took on a more comfortable stance. "I'm Dave. We were probably just going around town like you are - looking for things."

"Yo, Dave! What did ya find?" A bigger man was walking towards them and I immediately began to back away.

Something about them made me wary.

"Do you want to join us?" he offered. "We have a small group of people. It'd probably be safer if you're not on your own."

"I'll be fine," I mumbled, continuing to back away.

Dave smiled at me. "You have a nice accent. British?"

"I'll be going, now." I turned and gritted my teeth when I saw a young man - perhaps a teenager - several feet in front of me. "I don't want any trouble. I was only passing by."

"Randall, let her go," Dave told the teen.

The boy grinned lecherously at me before stepping to the side.

I took one last look behind me at Dave who was motionless and ran off. I didn't stop until I was deep in the forest and couldn't see them anymore. They didn't seem too terrible, but I couldn't be sure. Better to be safe than sorry.

Some groans and rustling came from my right. I quickly looked and saw at least a dozen of them shuffling towards me. I sighed and ran the other way. It was so tiring with the bag.

I found a nice tree and quickly climbed it. Unfortunately, I didn't have the time to decorate it with a dead walker, but at least they weren't coming up here. I'd just have to find a way to get down when morning arrives.

As expected the next morning, the dead continued to fruitlessly reach me. I sighed and wondered how long it would take before they'd leave me alone. I closed my eyes and just enjoyed the sun on my face. With no destination to reach, I didn't really mind just staying up here. If only I was somewhere more comfortable or maybe if I had a pillow.

By late noon, the walkers were still relentlessly scratching at the tree. Was it possible for them to actually push it down? They didn't seem to have any form of cooperation, though, so it was probably near impossible.

Suddenly, a loud frustrated cry pierced through the air. The walkers turned their heads and began to walk towards the new potential prey.

I bit my lips as I watched the walkers shuffle away. Should I go help the person?

A second cry and I couldn't resist at least checking. The person was still alive and I had to go see.

I threw down my bag and jumped down the tree before running towards the source of the cry. On my way, I tried to dispatch as many walkers as I could - mainly the ones that were trying to claw at me. Eventually, I managed to eliminate most of them while they were distracted and reached the cliff where I had previously fallen. Was there another victim?

I looked across and didn't see anyone. I peeked down and saw a fallen form slumped against the hard rocky surface.

Slowly, I began to slide down the steep hill and managed to reach the landing without killing myself. I walked over and was shocked to see a familiar face. "Daryl?"

I knelt beside him and started to shake his shoulder until he let out a pained groan, but remained unconscious. "Daryl!"

One side of his face had a streak of blood. He must've hit his head on the way down, but it didn't seem to be bleeding anymore. He was also completely drenched in water and one of his own arrows had pierced straight into his left side. I touched it for a moment, wondering if perhaps I should get it out and wrap him up, but stopped and froze.

I heard several groans above us and looked up to see the walkers approaching the cliff. They didn't seem perturbed by the steep fall and continued to walk until their bodies plunged straight down. I cringed as all their bodies landed with a disgusting crunch. Some of them landed head first and didn't make it, but the ones that were still moving began to get up and slowly approach us.

"Daryl! Wake up!" I didn't care that he was hurting. If he didn't wake up soon, it wouldn't even matter. "Daryl, walkers!"

I cursed when his eyes remained closed. I stood up and faced the walkers with the dagger clenched tightly in my hand.

With a strong kick, I managed to knock over one of the closer walkers, creating a domino effect as it caused several more to fall. I quickly stepped to the left as three walkers fell where I had just been standing. Before they could get up, I stabbed through their heads and faced the others. There was at least half a dozen and I could hear more approaching.

I dodged the first one before stabbing the back of its head. The second and third I managed to easily take down, but as the fourth one approached, one of the newly fallen walkers grabbed me around the ankle and I painfully fell to the ground.

With my other leg, I kicked its head, trying to either kill it or make it let go. "Daryl!" I shouted at the bowman, again, as several walkers began to approach him. "Daryl, wake up!"

I screamed as another walker grabbed me from the back. It desperately tried to bite my neck, but I pushed its head away and stabbed it. The blood splattered across my face as I pulled the dagger back out.

Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to catch my breath as another fell on me. I shoved its body off me, but another took its place. How many were there? "DARYL!"

Instead of trying to aim for the head, I stabbed repeatedly at its body. The stomach quickly tore and I could feel all its content soak into my shirt. I screamed, again, and continued to stab until the dead body fell in two. The lower half slid motionlessly off me while the top half was still actively clawing at me.

The one at my foot was gnawing at my shoe until I kicked its head off. Unhindered, I stabbed the head of the one still half laying on me.

With the guts all over my shirt, I was relieved to see that the walkers weren't as interested in me. I sighed and stabbed the one closest to me as I approached Daryl who was starting to wake up.

...

"Merle..." he murmured as he tried to reach his brother.

"Daryl, wake up! Wake up! Walker!"

He jolted awake as he saw one of the geeks on his leg. "Fuck!" He panicked and kicked the walker off of him with his other leg. He tried to reach for his crossbow, but the walker jumped on him, again. He punched it several times in the face before rolling over so that he was on top.

"Hold it still!" he heard a familiar accented voice tell him before a dagger rendered the geek truly dead.

He looked at her dumbfounded for a moment before nodding his thanks. She smiled weakly back at him, but quickly pointed at another walker that was quickly approaching them. He could also see the ones behind her. They shared a look and seemed to come to a silent understanding.

He charged forward with a long, thick branch in his hand and pushed all the geeks back, while she quickly killed the one that was approaching them from the forest.

"Come on, hurry up!" He wasn't going to be able to hold them back for long.

As she ran towards him, she picked up his crossbow and threw it at him.

He dropped the branch and jumped back before decapitating one of the walkers with his bow. He continued to back up as she charged forward. With one hand on the arrow that was still inside him, he began to pull. The pain was excruciating, but he needed it. He let out a cry of pain as it finally came free. With much difficulty, he pulled back the string and loaded the arrow.

...

I panted with exhaustion as I pulled out my dagger. Taking advantage of my current state, one of the walkers jumped on me. Just as it was going to bite off my face, an arrow pierced through its head, only narrowly missing me. More blood splattered on to my face, but I was too tired to care. I pushed it away from me and collapsed on to my rear, unable to stay on my feet any longer. "Daryl!" I held up his dagger in my hands and he quickly snatched it by the handle and made quick work of the rest of the walkers.

"Bloody fuck..." I muttered as I continued to try and catch my breath.

Daryl stumbled over to me before falling face first on to the sand.

I waited for any sign of movement, but when his form remained still, I crawled over. "Daryl?" I rolled him over on to his back and saw that he had fallen unconscious, again. The adrenaline must've been the only thing that had kept him going.

Sleeping would be a good idea, right now. I laid on my back beside him and wanted nothing more than to close my eyes, but I knew that someone had to keep watch.

I stared aimlessly at the cliff where the walkers had dropped down like rag dolls. How did we even manage to take them all down? I couldn't help but let out a small laugh. We were alive!

"Whattaya so 'appy about?"

I looked over to him and smile. "We're alive!"

He snorted and tried to sit up, but laid back down when the pain became too much. "Crazy Brit," he grumbled under his breath.

I didn't allow the words to affect me. "Do you think you can make it back up the cliff?"

"Fell the first time I tried," he said.

I smiled widely at him. "You didn't have me, then," I told him while helping him to his feet.

I grabbed his crossbow and slung it around my shoulder. I could feel his gaze fixed on it before he looked down where his hand was still clenching tightly to his dagger. He glanced at the one I had holstered. "Found one of your own?"

"Found the one that I had lost," I replied before we slowly made our way over to the cliff wall.

"Wait."

I stopped as he broke away from me and limped over to retrieve a small doll in a pink dress. I couldn't help raising a skeptical eyebrow at him, but what confused me the most was when he began to make a necklace of walker ears. "Really? Isn't that just a bit morbid?"

He didn't reply as he limped back towards me.

"How did you even end up down here?"

"Damn horse got spooked and threw me off her," he grumbled. "Lost ma squirrel, too."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Bad day, yeah?"

We began to scale up the cliff with great difficulty. He was determined to go up without my help, so I hung back. In case he fell, I'd hopefully be able to grab on to him and hopefully not get taken down, as well.

"That doll," I started as I looked at the plush tucked between his belt and his trousers. "Is it Sophia's?"

He paused in his movement before continuing. "Yeah."

"If it fell into the water, it could've come from anywhere. Do you think she fell into the water?"

He didn't reply.

"Were you close to her? I heard from Carol that you've been going out into the forest everyday to search." I continued on knowing that he wasn't going to respond. "I'm sorry about what happened. It must be hard losing a child."

"She's not mine."

"I know, but... Sometimes, you just feel this connection with another person." I stopped when I realised how that must've sound. "I mean, I lost my family shortly after the outbreak, but there was this kind man who treated me like his own daughter. You must feel the same way for Sophia, yeah?"

"'E dead?"

I swallowed. "A while back," I replied. "We met another group and they weren't like you guys. They pretended to help us and when we went to sleep, they took us down one by one. They were looters - murderers. They didn't even spare the children. Only a few of us escaped, but we were all separated."

Eventually, we made it to the top and he fell back to catch his breath. I walked ahead a little to scout and when I came back he was already on his feet, again. I tried to help him walk, but he brushed me off, so I left him alone.

I continued to talk about nothing, trying to fill the silence. When the farmhouse was finally in sight, I fell back. "You'll be fine here." I handed him his crossbow, which he happily slung over his shoulder.

"Was fine before," he scoffed.

I shook my head as I leaned on a tree trunk. "Of course, you were." I watched as he stumbled forward and couldn't help but laugh at how he resembled a walker. At least he was safe, now. Several of his friends were running his way. They had their guns pointed and weapons ready, but relaxed when they noticed that it was only their missing member.

Just as I was about to turn around, I heard a loud gunshot. "Daryl!" I screamed as his body fell to the ground. I fell to my knees in front of him and quickly checked his head. The bullet had only grazed the side of his temple, but the stress had rendered him unconscious.

"Get away from him," Shane snarled at me and pushed me away as he and Rick picked Daryl up.

Andrea and Dale ran over and I felt a sense of déjà vu, except this time, I was in the spectator's seat. The blonde woman must've been on the lookout and mistook a human for a walker, again. I didn't blame her, though. Even I had mused that he looked like one of the dead. I blamed myself. I should've helped him to his friends. At least then, she'd probably realise that Daryl wasn't a walker.

I bit my lips with worry as the group brought him to the house. I wanted to go with them to make sure that he was really alright, but I knew that I wasn't welcome.

With one last worried look, I turned around and walked away.

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE_

I have decided to write a chapter two! For me, it's always a bit difficult to narrate an actiony scene, so I hope that was alright!

Thank you **TheLadyAranel** and **galwidanatitud** for reviewing!

Thank you as well to everyone who has favourited and followed this story!

If you guys continue to review, I promise to keep writing!

 _P.S. Is anyone else excited for the next episode?!_


	3. Daryl

**CHAPTER THREE: DARYL**

I couldn't stop thinking about him. Was he alright? Was he awake? Was he thinking about me?

For several nights, I was tempted to sneak in and check, but each time, I chickened out. I had no business there and he had his friends to take care of him, so why was I still so worried?

I growled and dug my dagger into a walker's head. "Bloody Hell..." I wiped the blade clean on the ground and holstered it. It was nightfall soon and that was probably the only time I'd be able to sneak into the house to see him. That was also the most dangerous time to be wandering about.

I went back to my tree and eyed the bag that was hidden by the leaves. It should be safe up there, but I pondered whether I should get rid of the hanging twice-dead walker. It may signify to other people that there may be something or someone there.

I sighed and pulled the body off and left it on the ground instead. Hopefully, that would be enough to keep the other walkers at bay.

With that, I began to make my way to the farmhouse. I spotted the van with a person perched on top. I knew if it was Andrea, then she probably wouldn't report me to anyone, but I was also wary that she might shoot me. If it was Dale, well... I didn't really know him enough.

I eyed the setting sun and began to detour around to the back. It was a lot more walking, but there was less chance of me being spotted.

Fortunately, I managed to sneak over the fence and pressed myself against the side of the house as someone walked by. When I made sure that no one was around, I rounded to the front and quickly slipped into the house. Thankfully, no one was in the entranceway, but I could hear several people talking in the kitchen.

I tiptoed upstairs where the bedrooms were probably located and peeked into every room, hoping that I wouldn't encounter anyone.

Suddenly, I felt something sharp pressed against my lower back. I froze and lifted my hands up to indicate that I wasn't going to do anything. When the person didn't say anything, I turned my head to try to see who it was, but spotted no one. I looked down and saw a little boy with a branch in his hand. Immediately, I relaxed and let out a small laugh.

"Who are you?"

I turned and crouched down. "Sydney. What's yours?"

He seemed to contemplate whether to tell me or not. "Carl," he replied once he seemed convinced that I wasn't going to do anything.

I smiled at him. So this was Carl. He was so cute. "I'm just here to look for Daryl. Do you know where he is?"

He continued to look at me with wide eyes before pointing to the last door in the hallway. Of course it'd be the last place I planned to look.

"Don't tell anyone, okay? It'll get me into trouble."

He frowned. "Are you bad?"

I shook my head. "I was here for a few days, but Hershel didn't want me to stay. Not sure if he'd care if I came for visits, though. I'd rather be safe than sorry. I'll be gone, soon."

"Okay."

I chuckled and ruffled his hair, causing him to whack my hand away and try to smooth it back down. "Thanks, kid."

"I'm not a kid!" he protested. "It's Carl!"

"Yeah. Yeah. Carl."

He huffed before walking off.

I smiled and turned to peek into where he had pointed Daryl's current residence. The room was dark, but there was an immobile lump under the covers. He must be resting.

I tiptoed in and closed the door. The only light was coming from the window, now.

When I was close enough, I could see that his hand was covering his eyes and his breathing was even. There was a butterfly bandage where the bullet had grazed him. I slowly extended a hand towards him when suddenly, I was on my back with a dagger to my throat. I stared at him with wide eyes.

"What da fuck did ya think ya were doin'?" he grunted and moved the dagger away before wincing. "Could've killed ya."

"Just wanted to check up on you," I mumbled. "Was worried."

He sighed and leaned against the side of the bed with a hand on his side. "Does anyone know yer here?"

"Carl."

He lifted an eyebrow at me. "The kid found ya?"

"Thought he was going to kill me, too," I told him with a laugh. "Found out he only had a branch in his hand. He's a smart kid."

"Yeah, he is."

I helped him back on to the bed and tucked him in. I sat beside him and groaned at how comfy it is. Experimentally, I laid down and closed my eyes. "How come you get to have a bed, while I'm stuck in the tent when I was injured?"

"That's ma tent you're talking about," he grumbled.

I hummed and rolled over. "Wake me up before dawn. Just gonna stay here for a little while longer."

I didn't get to hear his reply as I quickly dozed off.

"What the _Hell_ are you doing here?!" I heard someone shout in the room, jolting me awake.

I groggily tried to blink out the sleep from my eyes and started to sit up, but something wrapped around my waist stopped me. I looked down, saw an arm, and looked over to see that Daryl was just waking up, as well. I groaned. "Told you to wake me up." I kicked him through the cover.

"Would you tell me why you're here?"

Pushing his arm away, I slip off the bed and gave Hershel a sheepish look. "I just wanted to make sure that he was alright after... you know?"

"And it never crossed your mind to tell me, first?" he angrily said to me.

I ran a hand through my hair. "Sorry. I was worried that you wouldn't let me, so I just..."

"No one saw you?"

I shook my head. "No one. I'm used to sneaking around by myself. I won't do it, again, I swear." I felt like a child being scolded. "'M gonna go, now." I gave Daryl one last glance, which he returned with a nod and began to leave the room.

"You can stay," I heard Hershel sigh from behind me.

I froze and turned towards him, surprised. "What?"

"You can stay here, but don't get used to the bed. You're going to hunt your own food and find your own water, but you can stay on the farm."

My eyes lit up and I grinned widely at him. "Thank you!"

He grumbled before leaving me with his last words. "Since you're here, you'll be hunting for him too." He pointed at Daryl who was looking miffed that he wouldn't be able to hunt until a little while longer.

I smiled and nodded. "I'll be back. 'M just gonna go get my bag."

"It's late. I'll go with ya." Daryl was beginning to get up, but I pushed him back down.

"You're hurt," I told him. "Besides, I've been by myself for a while, now. I got here undetected, didn't I?"

He snorted. "Yeah. Except by a li'l kid."

I frowned and whacked him in the arm, causing him to wince. "Just stay here. I'll probably take over your tent. Get used to sleeping outside after you're healed." With that, I made my way outside the house and stealthily manoeuvred through the forest. I had to take down of few of the dead ones, but eventually, I returned to the tree with no problem and quickly climbed up. As I did so, a small group huddled around the trunk and began to reach upward, in a futile attempt to get to me.

I slung my backpack over my shoulder and looked at the closest tree. There was a reason I chose this one. Several other trees extended thick branches towards this one and they were all within reach. I had learned a while back that I should always be sure there was another escape route, but it wasn't always plausible.

I balanced myself as close as I could to the tip of the branch on my tree before jumping. My hands grabbed on to the adjacent branch for a brief moment, then I let go and started to run. The dead ones quickly followed me. There was only a small mob of them, but it was probably better if I could get some help from the group.

One appeared in front of me, I pushed it to the side and kept going. If I stopped, I was going to be swarmed.

I slid my dagger from the holster and readied it in my hands.

As I neared the farmhouse, one of them jumped me from the side and I fell unceremoniously on to the ground. "Help!" I screamed as one of them was on top of me. I quickly stabbed its head. "Fuck!" The decayed brain matter soaked into my hair. A second one fell on top of the first and I stabbed that one, as well. "H-Help!"

I couldn't tell if anyone actually heard me as a third made me lose my breath. I tried to push their limp bodies away. One of the dead ones managed to grab on to my hair before I took it down.

Suddenly, several rounds were fired and I felt the weight being lifted off me. "Rick..." I breathed in relief as he extended a hand towards me. I gladly took it and he helped me to my feet.

"You should've stayed near the camp until morning," he told me.

I ran my hand through my clumpy hair. "Probably, but I wanted to move in as soon as possible."

He looked at me with surprise. "Hershel agreed to let you stay?"

I nodded. "Just as somewhere to camp. I'll have to hunt for food and water, but it's a lot better than what I have, now."

He smiled at me. "That's good to hear. Are you going to be sharing a tent with someone?"

I grinned mischievously back at him. "Oh, I'm not gonna be sharing it with anyone."

He looked at me, wondering what other privilege Hershel had given me,

I thanked the others as I walked by and headed straight to Daryl's tent. "He won't be missing this for a while."

Rick burst out laughing and patted me on the shoulder before returning to his own tent with his family.

...

"Get out!"

Ah... Music to my ears.

"Get out, girl!"

"My tent, now," I mumbled back to him.

I felt hands around my ankle before I was dragged out. I flailed my arms pathetically at him before snuggling closer into the sleeping bag. It was wonderful not having to worry about possibly falling into a mob of dead ones.

"Oof!" I jolted up as my bag hit me. "Oi! My tent!"

"Said you wouldn't mind sleepin' outside, last time," he retorted. "Was injured then, too. You'll survive out there."

I huffed. "'M keeping the sleeping bag, though."

He didn't reply, so I eyed him suspiciously. I had no doubt that he was going to take it at first opportunity. "Did you hear me?"

He retrieved his crossbow and began to walk away.

I crinkled my nose before slipping out of the sleeping bag and followed after him. "Are you going hunting? I'll come with you! Who knows when you'll end up falling down a cliff, again."

He glared at me.

We wandered around the forest, scavenging for squirrels and rabbits. At one point, we decided to split up and I managed to get myself another squirrel.

"Still alone?" I turned around and readied my knife.

I lifted an eyebrow at the familiar face. "Are you stalking me? If laws were still applicable, I'd request a restraining order."

He chuckled. "I'm not stalking you. I was just conveniently at the same place. I can see that you're hunting."

I hummed and nodded. "Going, now."

"Anywhere in a hurry?"

I pursed my lips and turned around to walk away. "Things to do. Can't really wander around when it's night time."

Within a second, he was beside me, walking on pace. "You don't have to do everything alone, you know."

"I'd prefer it if I was."

"Really?" He grabbed my arm and turned me towards him. "Who's that guy I saw you with earlier, then?"

I glared and tried to wrench my arm back, but when he wouldn't let go, I raised my dagger at him. "So you really _were_ following me. Why?"

"We just want somewhere safe to stay. That's all. We could help each other," he told me, but I couldn't ignore the bullshit radar that was ringing loudly in my head. "I believe you when you said you were alone the last time we met, but I know that you must've found a group, this time."

"It's just me and him," I lied. "He was hunting and we decided to just gather what we found and share it."

He smiled. "Then you wouldn't mind if me and my group joined you guys? I'm sure we could get some stuff together, too."

"He's a bit of a loner."

"We can work something ou - " He froze when he felt something sharp pointed at his neck. He let my arm go and I quickly backed away. "I don't want any trouble, man. Was just talking to the lady."

Daryl said nothing. Instead, he poked Dave threateningly, warning him to shut up.

"Just go," I urged him. "We want nothing to do with you and your group. _Please_."

Dave sighed and put up his hand before slowly moving away from Daryl's arrow. "Alright. Alright. I get it." He gave me one last look before walking off.

I let out a breath of relief.

"Ex-boyfriend?"

I glared at him. "No. I met him in town and he's convinced that I was in a group. Haven't told him anything, though, so don't worry."

Daryl's stare lingered a moment longer before he relaxed his crossbow and went to retrieve what he had found. My eyes widened in wonder.

"You got a deer?!" I didn't even see any, let alone come close enough to kill one!

"And you gotta squirrel," he said, snorting at the measly animal in my hand.

I sulked the rest of the way back to camp. We had actually lingered about several areas, making sure that no one was following us before entering the farmland.

Carl ran towards us when we arrived. His eyes were fixed on the deer that Daryl was dragging. His mother, Lori, came up after him and smiled at Daryl who nodded his head back at her.

They were going to feast, tonight.

He ended up skinning and gutting the entire deer, while I handled the small fries. Carl wanted to learn, but Lori was adamant in keeping him away from it all.

In a place like this, I wondered if her overprotecting nature was going to hinder her son's chance of survival. It would be nice for him to have a normal childhood, but it was impossible, now. He had to grow up and he had to grow up fast because if he didn't, he was going to die.

I looked over at all the other members of the camp. Andrea needed a bit more training before she could fully protect herself. I had seen her struggle with putting her handgun together - several times, in fact. She seemed obsessed and quickly put it away when she saw me watching.

Dale was the morale boosting grandfather figure in the group. He told funny stories and tried to keep the mood up, but he also looked at most things with rose-tinted glasses. He must've never encountered anyone who was determined to kill for supplies, yet.

My eyes wandered to the ever-brooding Shane. Now _he_ was a work of art. I loved how fierce he was, but he was also rash and blew up at the most inappropriate times. I could see him surviving the longest if he was alone, but in a group setting, he didn't seem to belong.

Carol, however, was a well-rounded character. She was able to do the domestics, but also handle a gun. Unfortunately, she was always distracted with trying to find her daughter, or at least... Telling people to do it for her. I hated how she blamed Rick for what happened. Apparently the officer had ran off after the little girl after a walker sniffed her out. He lost her while he was taking care of the two that were following them. Where was Carol during this time? Why hadn't she gone after Sophia, as well? But I couldn't seem to stay angry at her, only perplexed. She had been extremely kind to me during my stay here, especially when I first arrived. She never discriminated that I was a stranger.

T-Dog. What was there really to say about him? He was eccentric and kind. I had spoken to him a few times and learned that his wife had recently passed away, but he was coping well.

Glenn was someone I really enjoyed speaking to. He did, however, seemed a bit confused sometimes, but it only added to his quirky character.

And Daryl... What was there to say about him? He was the amiable lone wolf - the one most misunderstood. He kept to himself and whenever I tried to pry into his back-story, he ignored me. He never took the bait, but he did mention a brother. His name was Merle and he was an asshole who had gotten himself lost somewhere. I had laughed at Daryl, then, but I could see how worried he was for his brother. There was nothing more painful than losing a family member, especially when they had lasted so long.

 _"Promise me. You'll live for us."_

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE_

Sydney's staying with the group! I hope you guys like Daryl and Sydney's interactions. I try to keep everyone in character. Please, feel free to tell me if I start doing otherwise! I'll actually really appreciate it if you do!

You know what the worst thing is with proofreading a story like this? Daryl's accent… I'm kind of already regretting writing it like that, but since I've already started this style, I'm going to see it through to the end. Running it through spell check is absolutely ridiculous that I don't even bother.

Thank you **darkmoonvampire** and **galwidanatitud** for reviewing!

galwidanatitud: Yeah, I often wonder what would happen if Shane was still alive, though. What do you think?

Thank you as well to everyone who has favourited and followed this story!

I'll be starting a new job tomorrow, but I'm actually working on the next chapter now.

How about I make you guys a promise? If you guys review more, I'll update faster!


	4. Dave

**CHAPTER FOUR: DAVE**

A nudge to my side snapped me of the restful sleep I was having. I groaned and hid my head into the sleeping bag. "Too early."

There was a growl before I heard footsteps fading away. I grinned, thinking that he was going to let me sleep in, until I felt a cold splash of water hit me. "Bloody hell!" I poked my head out and glared at him. "I hate you."

"Get up," he muttered and walked away.

I sighed before stretching. It had become like a routine. I'd be woken up by Daryl, who was looking far too awake after a long strenuous day. We'd go out to hunt and look for Sophia at the same time. He had actually agreed to take a partner with him whenever he went out, now, after the incident with the skittish horse.

Most days were uneventful, but we tried to liven things up by making the hunt a competition. I'd bring back an animal and he'd bring back an animal. The loser gets another chance to get something better with up to three chances. Every day, I'd lose to him. I had even gone as far as to try and cheat by bringing back a deer that was half eaten by the dead ones. He had figured it out right away and deemed me the loser immediately without even giving me a chance to go get another one.

"If you and Daryl keep this up, there won't be any more animals in the forest," Andrea joked while she was helping to skin and gut the creatures. "At least we're eating well, every day."

"Have you found anymore leads on where Sophia may be?" Carol was sitting beside us with a worried look on her face.

I looked down and shook my head. "At least we haven't found any evidence that she may be..."

"Yeah..." Carol bit her bottom lip, anxiously. "Are you guys going to look tomorrow, too?"

I nodded. "Probably. Daryl seems very determined to find her, so don't worry."

"Is it only Daryl who cares?" she asked me with a frown on her face and a tone of conviction.

"I want to find her, too," I quickly tried to pacify her. "But Daryl seems to be especially determined. I'm not saying that we shouldn't find her, Carol. I really want Sophia to be alright."

"You don't even know Sophia!" She suddenly stood up. "He can probably find her better by himself. He doesn't need to be distracted by these little games you play." With that, she had quickly disappeared back into the RV.

"Great..." I groaned and rubbed my weary eyes with my arm.

Andrea gave me a small, comforting smile. "Don't worry about her. She's just concerned for her daughter."

"I know. I just wish she'd give me more credit. I _do_ want to find Sophia."

The blonde nodded in understanding. "She'll come around."

For the rest of the day, Carol had remained in the RV and I was tempted to go talk to her, again, but Dale was convinced that she needed a little more time. Her behaviour had only fuelled Daryl's determination. I could tell how affected he was - everyone could. To be honest, I felt worse for him than Carol. He was keeping it all bottled inside and... It was difficult for me to understand why him of all people would be so adamant to look for Sophia. Did he used to have a daughter before all of this happened? Or was he truly just this caring man who would do it for anyone?

As night fell and I was comfortably tucked into the sleeping bag, I heard him shuffled out of his tent. He paced around for a bit before kicking the tree stump table. After a soft mutter to himself, I saw him pick up his crossbow.

I let out a sigh and began to worm my way out. "I thought we agreed that you wouldn't go out into the woods, alone - that no one should," I said, standing up.

"I ain't some li'l girl," he replied in his gruff voice. "I can take care of myself."

I scoffed. "And it worked so well, last time?"

"'Orse's fault," he mumbled.

"Whoever's fault it may have been," i started. "It's dark and you should have someone with you."

"A li'l girl like ya ain't gonna be any 'elp."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Haven't I already proven myself enough to you? I can take care of myself and I won't get in your way."

"Yer not comin' with me."

"Yes, I am. And if you're not gonna stop arguing with me, you'll end up waking the others then you wouldn't even be able to go out searching." I suppressed a triumphant grin when I noted that he didn't have a rebuttal.

"Get yerself armed. We're leavin', now."

I patted my holster to make sure my dagger hadn't slipped out while I was sleeping and took an extra hunting knife that was stabbed into the stump table. "Ready."

He nodded back at me and we both managed to sneak into the forest without waking anyone up.

The night was particularly dark. Clouds had covered the moon and our only light source were the two small flashlights in our hands. There were several walkers that were desperate for a feeding, but we quickly took them out

"Do you think she's really still alive? It's been weeks."

"Can't just give up," Daryl grumbled.

"I know." But what would we find at the end of our search? Would it boost our morales or trample on it?

"Hey." I looked over to Daryl who was staring at a certain spot on the ground with great concentration. "Look at this."

My eyes followed the line of where his finger was pointing, but I couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. "What is it?"

"Tracks." He began to follow the seemingly invisible trail.

I walked behind him. Was he actually seeing something or was his mind creating something that wasn't actually there?

We arrived at a small cave near the waters.

We shared a look before taking a step in. Sophia could've gotten frightened and taken refuge here.

"Sophia?" he called into the tunnel. "Sophia!"

There was a shuffling sound as we continued to walk inside. "Sophia?" I pointed my flashlight at a form and saw that it resembled a little girl. From the way it was moving, I knew that this person was already a walker. "Daryl..."

He increased his speed as he walked closer. His crossbow was pointed at the walker, but he didn't approach it with the same precaution I had been used to seeing.

"Is it her?"

The little girl took another step towards him before lunging forward.

"Daryl!"

He shot an arrow through its head and the little girl fell backward, motionless.

I ran to his side as he knelt beside the body. "No, it ain't her." He stood up. "Let's go."

With one last glance at the form, I walked away. Who was she before she died? Were people still searching for her as we were searching for Sophia? "Wait!"

He turned to look at me as I dragged the small body out to the entrance.

"Just in case someone was looking for her."

He nodded in understanding.

That night produced nothing. Neither did the days after that. We had no new leads to Sophia since he found her doll.

Carol had quickly apologised for her outburst shortly after the next morning and everything was well again between us. "I know I've been putting pressure on everyone, but..." She looked down and fiddled with a white flower clasped in her hands. "Maybe we _should_ give up."

I could feel the sadness and hopelessness radiating off of her. "If anyone would find her, it'll be Daryl."

"I know," she told me with a small smile on her lips as she twirled the flower in her hand. "Daryl gave this to me. He said that these Cherokee flowers signify strength and hope and it would grow where mothers' tears fell."

I looked at the white blossom in her hand and felt something clench at my heart. I couldn't tell if it was from the sadness that she was living every day wondering if her little girl was still alive or whether it was from...

I sat in the tent, away from the crowd who were cooking the day's hunt. I couldn't stop thinking about Daryl and Carol being together. Daryl. Carol. Daryl. Carol. Even their names seemed to rhyme.

Biting my lips in uncertainty, I grabbed a hatchet and decided to take a walk in the woods. I needed to get away from this group for a little. They were starting to make me go insane.

The stroll was uneventful, but I ended up encountering a poor walker who came in contact with the brunt of my frustration. I screamed and cursed as the hatchet fell over and over again into the motionless corpse.

"Bad day?"

I stopped, breathing heavily, and turned to see Dave standing calmly behind me. I must've been a sight for him. The blood and gore trickling down the side of my face tickled and I brushed my heavily matted hair out of my face. "Today is not the day to fuck around with me." I turned back to the corpse to vent off more of my frustration, but noticed that it was already completely torn apart and all that was left could only be described as scattered, gooey chunks.

With another cry of anger, I buried the hatchet into the tree.

Dave appeared beside me and moved me away from the corpse. "Hey. Come on, this would be the best time for that drink. My treat."

I glared at the smart ass and wrenched myself away before walking off. I spotted his pickup truck not too far away from where I had been and immediately made my way there.

Getting the idea, he jogged over to the car and opened it for me. "My lady." He even supplemented it with a small, teasing bow.

I plopped on to the car seat before crossing my arms and leaning against the door.

He slipped into the seat beside me and zoomed down the road to the town that I had first met him.

"This is some of the best stuff." He shook a bottle of hard liquor in his hand. "Here."

A glass was placed in front of me and he promptly poured the amber liquid into it. I swirled the glass.

"It ain't wine," he snorted at me before taking a long swig.

I mimicked him and immediately choked as the liquid set my esophagus on fire.

Laughing, he patted my back. "Never had this stuff before, huh?"

Once I cough my breath, I took a smaller sip and felt it slide smoothly down. "Never had a reason to drink it."

"What were you like before all this - what is your story?"

I looked at him to see him staring curiously back at me. "My name is Sydney White. Just graduated from med school." His eyebrows raised in wonder. "Was only a couple of days into the residency when one of the patient started attacking a nurse. It wasn't long before the reanimated corpses started marching out of the morgue. It was insane. Some of the doctors thought there had been a misdiagnosis, but... Everyone who had seem those things tear through human flesh with their teeth knew that something was wrong and we ran." I took another sip. "I went to my apartment and my roommate was being bloody mauled by her boyfriend. Fuck..." I rubbed my eyes, tiredly, trying to rid myself of the image. "I just ran... I left her to die and just ran. The army were already starting up refuge camps and I took the time of safety to call my parents. I could hear their panic and their fear and I couldn't do anything to help them! I only came here to get my education and earn money to take care of them. I wasn't made for this world. This fucked up hell...

"The camp had a nursing station and... anyone who could help gathered around the medical tent to treat the injured. We didn't know... We didn't know that it was infectious and it happened so quickly. In a day, that camp had been run over with those things. I never had a chance to contact my family, again." I finished the glass, which was quickly filled, again. "Probably all dead."

"Hey, you survived. There is a big chance that they will, too," he tried to comfort me.

I laid my head on his shoulder. "Eventually, I found another group of people. They were so accepting - shared their supplies with me. We got each other's back. They had this... really cute little girl." I laughed at a particularly fond memory. "I lost her... We ran into these men. They treated us like friends, but... that same night, they... They slaughtered them all. They had their fuckin' fun and just gutted them. Those sick bastard. Another person and I managed to escape, but I can't get rid of those faces in my head." I tugged my hair in frustration. "That little girl, Annie... They fuckin' raped her! She was only six!"

Dave held on to me as I cried. How do we live past something like that? In the midst of global crisis, we still have these fuckers raping and killing the innocent. Where's the justice?

"What got you so angry, today?" I knew he was trying to change the subject, so I obliged and spilled everything out.

"Bloody Daryl..." I mumbled. "Him and fuckin' Carol..."

Dave raised an eyebrow at me. "Daryl and Carol? Cute... Siblings?"

"No!" I growled, throwing the glass against a wall.

"Jealous?"

I gritted my teeth hand glared at him. "I'm. Not. Fuckin'. Jealous!"

He poured me another glass and I quickly chugged it down. My shoulders slumped forward before I leaned my forehead against the bar counter. "I'm jealous..." I whispered after a few minutes. "I'm really, really jealous, but I don't know what to do. I don't even _know_ him. I don't even know what it's like to fall in love. Am I in love? Do I even _like_ him?"

I heard the barstool screech as he hopped off. "Why don't we experiment on that?"

I sat up straight and looked questioningly at him. "How?"

He grinned. "Just follow my lead." He leaned his forehead on mine. "We'll go as far as you wanna go, so maybe _I'll_ follow _your_ lead."

I wrapped my arms around his neck and crushed my lips against his. He held me closer as I bit his bottom lip and looked at him. He broke away and tilted my head up, exposing my neck. "Dave..." I moaned as he trailed butterfly kisses down to my collar bone.

I pulled him back up and brought him into a bruising kiss. He groaned and gripped my hip tightly before nudging my legs apart. I slipped a hand into his shirt, stroking the toned muscle underneath. I moaned, again, as he grind his erection against me. I wrapped my legs around him and pressed close.

His shirt quickly disappeared and I immediately attached my lips around his small, pink nipples.

"Fuck..." he groaned, tangling his hands in my hair. He groped blindly for the hem of my top and began to tug it upward. I moved back as it went over my head. "Fuck, you're beautiful." He lifted the bra up, just enough to expose my breasts. He gave them an appreciative squeeze as we continued to explore each other.

As his hand wandered to the hem of my trousers, I froze and backed away. "No..."

He swallowed hard, his hand lingered for a moment, before he took a step back

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I..."

"No," he immediately interjected. "No, it's fine." He reached over and retrieved his shirt and handed me mine.

We sat silently on the barstools, running over what had just happened and where it would take us. "You mentioned your group before," I started. "Can you take me to them? Can I join you there?"

There was a spark of joy in his eyes. "You want to come with me?"

"I don't feel like I belong where I was before. I'm like a third wheel between the two of them." I made sure not to mention anyone else in the group. Even though I wanted to go there, I didn't know if these people would raid them. I didn't know if they were the same as the men who had killed my former group.

He wrapped an arm around my waist and led me to the truck. Was I making the right decision? What would life be like without Daryl, now? He had become part of my daily routine. Maybe I should've left a note, first.

"Do you have everything with you - your backpack?" Dave asked when we were in his truck.

I ran a hand through my hair. "I can always get more supplies. I don't really have anything else that I need." I patted my belt to make sure that my dagger was still there.

"I'm glad that you've decided to stay with me," he whispered, leaning in to steal a kiss.

I nodded. "What is your group like?"

He shrugged. "Lots of testosterone."

"Would I belong?"

"I won't let anything happen to you." There was something in his voice that made me suspicious.

"Dave?" His eyes were trained on the road in front of him and his knuckles were turning white from the tight grip on the steering wheel. "Dave, what is it? You have to tell me if I'm going to be with them." I jerked forward as he suddenly stopped the car.

I looked at him with wide eyes and watched as he rested his head on the steering wheel. "I can't do it," he whispered. "Those men are not men. They're monsters. I can't bring you near them."

I placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Tell me."

"Three days ago, we came upon a small camp with two girls and their father. They tied the man up and raped the children. Most of them joined in and when they were done, they left them _alive_." This voice cracked, while his shoulder began to shake. "I could still remember their broken faces."

I bit my lips. "Did you... Did you..." I swallowed, unable to form the question.

"No!" he quickly told me, sitting up and taking my hands into his. "I didn't, but... I watched and I didn't do anything to help them."

"How many are there? Your group?"

"More than thirty," he guessed.

"Then there was nothing you could've done about it. They would've killed you." I stroked his hand with my thumb and drew him into a hug.

"You don't understand," he mumbled into my neck. "They're still doing it, now. They recently found this little girl. She's in the house with those monsters. I could've helped her out, but I didn't."

I gently broke away from him with a frown on my face. "Little girl? Do you know her name?"

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE_

So, the way I started The Walking Dead series was by binge watching it with my friend for three days straight. It was basically one season per day.

I can still recall the moment when Dave appeared on the show and my friend and I, sitting on my couch, both shouted "Neal!" I'm not sure how many Once Upon a Time fans there are here, but Dave and Neal are both played by the same actor. I kind of wish that Dave had a little more time to develop character-wise, so I've decided to touch upon him a little more.

I'm really hoping that I'm getting these characters right. I personally have a pet peeve when character become far too out of character. Please, feel free to just point it out to me.

Thank you **galwidanatitud** for reviewing!

 **galwidanatitud** : I hope she doesn't get sucked into the group's drama either! I agree, Shane seemed to be incredibly stressed out over his role as leader of the group before Rick showed up.

Thank you as well to everyone who has favourited and followed this story!

I'd love to hear from all of you.


	5. Sophia?

**CHAPTER FIVE: SOPHIA?**

"It might not be her," Dave whispered as we hid behind the thickets.

"Even if it's not Sophia, I can't just leave her in there knowing what they are doing to her," I told him angrily. After hearing about what those men do to women and young children, there was no way I could ignore it with good conscience.

"I'm not sure anyone would want to live after what she's gone through."

"It doesn't matter!" I growled. "It's not our choice to decide."

He quieted before nodding. We quickly thought up a plan where he distracts a few of the men and kept watch, while I sneaked into the house. I spotted a tree by the house with a branch extended near one of the second storey windows. Theoretically, it should be easier to sneak into this house than Hershel's, but one could never tell. Rick and the others didn't seem too concerned with humans sneaking around. I didn't know if these men had the same mindset.

Dave walked out casually with a couple of bottles of liquor in his hands. He stumbled into the camp looking drunk and I quickly followed behind him before parting away to the tree. After so much experience, I easily swung to the top without a problem. The window was cracked open, but I couldn't see anything with the beige curtains in my way.

As I was about to push the window up, a gruff voice stopped me.

"Come on, girlie. My turn, now."

I clenched my eyes shut and pressed a hand to my mouth, wiling myself not to do anything too rash.

The bed creaked and I heard a horrified cry that seemed to be muffled by something. "I'm sorry," I whispered. "Just a little longer. I'm coming. I'm going to save you. I'm so sorry." I repeated this over and over before I slowly lifted the window up. I peeked in and saw that the large, beefy man was on the bed, completely distracted. His body completely covered the small form under him. Only two thin wrists attached to two small hands peeked through from the little girl.

I looked over to the door and saw that it was closed. Good. No one would be bothering us.

I held my dagger tightly in my hand before quietly walking over and was about to slam it into his head, but at that moment, he finally noticed that someone else was in the room. He turned and grabbed my wrist. I tried to wrench it away from him, but it was futile. Instead, I jumped on the bed and kicked him in the stomach. He grunted in pain and got off the little girl.

Blindly, he threw a punch my way, but I ducked down and kicked him again. He lost his balance on the bed, taking me down with him. As I landed, I felt the girl's shaking form against me.

"You fuckin' bastard. I'm gonna bloody kill you," I growled at him as we struggled - half on and half off the bed.

"Ya bitch! Ya think ya can kill me? Not before I kill ya! Ya ain't even good 'nough to fuck!" he spat back at me.

I dug the fingers of my other hand into his left eye and he cried out in pain. His grip on my right wrist slackened and I managed to slice his throat open with one fluid motion. Immediately, he stopped worrying about his eye and tried to stop the blood from flowing out. I scrambled off him and kicked him the rest of the way off the bed, ignoring the way he was struggling to stay alive. That bastard had it coming and what I had done was already too merciful for someone like him.

With my bloody dagger in hand, I slipped off her blindfold. When she saw my face covered with small blood splatters, she began to thrash around, screaming into her cloth gag. Her wide doe-like eyes were trained on me like a frightened, caged animal.

I tried to hush her, worried that others were going to come in. "I'm not here to hurt you. Is your name Sophia? Your mum has been searching all over for you and I'm gonna bring you back, alright? Your mother... Carol?"

Hearing about her mother, she quieted down and stayed motionless as I freed her of her four restraints. I still couldn't tell if this was Sophia, but I knew that I had to get her out.

"I'm not the strongest in terms of physical strength, so you'll have to help me out here. I'll get on to the tree and you'll have to jump towards me. I'll go down the tree, you follow, and if you fall, I'll be able to catch you."

Silently, she nodded her head and I gave her a weak smile. We went over to the window and I looked down. Dave was standing just underneath and I quietly grabbed his attention. It would probably be quicker if the girl jumped down.

"Dave, can you catch her?" I helped the girl to the window sill. She sat fearfully on the edge, clinging on to me.

He looked up and gave me an uncertain look, but held his arms out, adjusting his position.

"Sweetheart, you'll have to do this for me. We'll get you to your mum, soon. Close your eyes and Dave here will help you."

She shook her head fervently. Her arms tightened around my neck. I tried to pry them off me.

"Come on, we don't have a lot of time. Dave will get you to safety," I told her in a hush voice. "You want to see your mum, soon, right?" She nodded. "This will be the fastest way."

With a bit more urging, she finally let go and looked down.

"Just close your eyes and on the count of tree, imagine you're going down a roller-coaster, but don't scream. You've been on one of those, yeah?"

Again, she nodded.

"Alright." I licked my lips nervously. If Dave didn't catch her, I was going to kill him. "One. Two. Three." I pushed her off the ledge and I was relieved to see that Dave had caught her with no problem. "Good girl..." I whispered and readied myself to jump on to the branch.

As I had one foot on the wood, a hand grabbed my other leg and I fell. The little girl screamed as she watched with wide eyes. Instead of plunging to my death, I realised that I hung precariously against the wall with only a hand around my ankle. I looked to the window and saw that the man had been reanimated and was trying to take a bite out of me. I was thankful that it was too stupid to unclench its jaw from my thick shoes.

What was worse, however, was that voices could be heard rounding the corner of the house. "Go!" I shouted at Dave. "Go and - " I tried to kick the hand with my other leg, but failed. "Go and take her to where the hatchet is."

He gritted his teeth before nodding. There was nothing that he could do to help me and he had a little girl to protect, now. Quickly, he gathered the small form into his hands before rushing to the pickup truck.

My head was feeling uncomfortable bloated from the blood rushing downward.

I turned back to the walker that was still trying desperately to get a good angle to chomp down. "Die you, fucker!" I threw my dagger upward, hoping that it'll aim true. A second later, I fell and landed on my back. I held back a cry as excruciating pain blinded me for a moment.

"Shit, there's a bitch here!"

I blinked wildly and somehow managed to get to my feet. Just as I stumbled away from underneath the window sill, another form came plunging down and landed with a painful crack.

"Fuck, it's Trev! Bitch musta killed him!"

I briefly noted that the walker was missing one hand and realised that I hadn't killed him, at all. I nearly tripped on my own feet as the walker lunged upon one of the men.

Without caring what happened to them, I fled as quickly as I could. There were several gunshots behind me and I knew they must've already killed the walker. I was going to be their next target. I had to run, but I couldn't lead them to the camp and I couldn't lead them to Dave. I also knew that I couldn't run for much longer, my back was killing me and only the adrenaline was keeping me from keeling over.

As I ran around one of the trees, one bullet grazed my arm, but thankfully, the others missed.

Run in a zigzag motion. Don't stop. Don't stop. Don't look behind you. Keep running.

Fortunately, the sun had already set and it greatly hindered the men's aim. I could hear several walkers approaching. They were probably attracted to the racket behind me. Instead of running away from them, I opted to run towards the shuffling and groaning. Ironically, they may be my only hope of escaping.

When I saw the first one, I easily dodged to the left. My hand instinctively went to grab for my dagger, but came out empty as I remembered that I had thrown it. "Fuck..." I panted.

There were at least five scattered in front of me, but I just had to keep going.

The gunshots didn't cease and I knew the men were taking the walkers down one by one.

Instead of running forward, I rounded a corner where the trees were particularly thick and began to run back towards the direction I had just been, but through another route. Hopefully with the darkness hindering their vision, they'd think that I was still going the same direction.

One of the dead ones came at me and I swooped down to pick up a nearby branch. With a quick motion, I buried it through its eyes. As it fell to the ground, I cursed at my own stupidity. I should've let it wander. I can't leave a trail of dead bodies behind me.

With a hasty glance, I took a minute to hide the body in a bush and continued my way through the forest.

Eventually, I spotted a tall motionless figure standing by the tree. A small smile made its way to my lips before I jogged over. "Dave - "

 _Bang!_

I dropped to the ground and froze. "Shit!" I swore softly as I realised that it wasn't Dave. I was such an idiot. Why did I drop down my guard?

"'Ey, bitch."

I scrambled to my feet and leaned against the tree. The bullet had missed me, but I was exhausted. I could feel the adrenaline already dissipating.

"Waz 'ere ta meet lover boy, eh? Is tha hatchet yer secret meetin' place?" The man stalked towards me. "Too bad 'e ain't 'ere ta meet ya." He played with the hatchet in his hand. "Came 'ere with that lil bitch a few minutes ago. Chopped 'em real good, I did."

I gritted my teeth and wanted nothing more than to tell him to shut up, but I didn't want to provoke him.

"Killed the traitor an' had ma way with her tiny, little body." His eyes were crazed as he stared at me. "'Er screamin' was music to ma ears. Oh, did she beg." He laughed. "'Er tiny lil voice squeaking. 'Stop! Stop! _Please_!'"

I clenched my hands. That fucking bastard. He would have it. I couldn't let it go. He'd have his just desserts.

My eyes were trained on the hatchet that was in his hand. How was I going to get out of this one? How was I going to avenge them?

"Ya know," he started. "Doesn't hafta end this way." A slimy grin made its way to his lips. "Ya can be our bitch. We'd treat ya well."

Without taking my eyes off him, I groped blindly for anything that could get me out of this situation. "Okay..." I whispered in resignation. There was nowhere for me to go.

I continued to stare at him as he stood only inches away. He crouched down and licked his lips. "Thatta good girl."

"Fuck you, wanker!" I snarled at him before smashing a fist-sized rock against his temple. He dropped the hatchet, which I immediately picked up and hovered over him. "Should've thought about getting another occupation, arsehole." I brought the hatchet to the spot between his legs. He screeched in pain.. "Doesn't feel good, does it?" I raised the hatchet and slammed it back down.

Blood splattered across my clothes and face. "Will you ever fuck another little girl, again?!"

"No!" he shrieked. "No! Ya fuckin' crazy bitch!"

I screamed and brought the hatchet down one last time and into his head. I fell back against the tree and heaved. Tears were streaming down my face and I couldn't handle all the emotions that were threatening to tear me apart. I screamed, again, not caring what attention it may attract.

"Sydney!" I immediately swung the hatchet around and the person stumbled to the side. "Whoa! Whoa! It's me - Dave."

My shaking hands let go of the tool. He knelt down beside me and held me close. "It's alright. Everything's fine, now."

"You're alive," I whispered, raising a hand to his cheeks in disbelief. Was he actually here or was I hallucinating?

"Of course, I'm alive," he said, taking my wrist and kissing the palm of my hand. "Why wouldn't I be?" He gently placed another kiss on my nose and rested his forehead on mine.

"He said..." I swallowed. "He said he killed you - you and the girl. He sounded so convincing, I - " I stopped and looked around. "Where's the girl?" I whispered in panic when I noticed that the blonde-haired girl wasn't with him.

"In the truck," he told me. "Come on, I'll help you there."

I braced myself against him as he half carried me up. Before we turned to leave, he gave the body a long glance.

There was nothing but a mass of flesh left behind.

I could tell he was trying to suppress the nausea as he swallowed several times before leading me to the direction he had come from.

"Heard the screams and hoped it was you – alive, I mean," he said as we neared the blue truck. "We got here a little while ago, but I saw some of them coming this way, so we left. Had to stay around in case you came back, though. Glad that we didn't leave."

The little girl stared at me with wide eyes, probably frightened by my bloody appearance, as I slipped in next to her. What I sight I must've been. "Are you Sophia?"

The little girl nodded, mutely.

I wonder what Carol would say if I scarred her daughter even further.

"Stop over there," I told Dave once we were near the farm. "Stay here while I bring the girl and talk to the others. They aren't that accepting sometimes and I don't want this to be blown out of proportion."

He stopped the car and shook his head. "I'm not gonna come with you."

Surprised, I stared at him. "What? Why? They'll accept you."

"Maybe, but..." He looked down. "I don't think I can go to them knowing that you have feelings for another man."

"I..." I couldn't deny that I was still confused, but it didn't mean that he had to leave. "Please. We'll return Sophia and then I'll go with you."

"No." He was adamant. "I need some time on my own. I need some time to think and sort out my thoughts and I think you do, too." He brought a hand to my cheek. "I'll be around when you need me. You'll see me, again. I know you will."

I pursed my lips and tried not to cry, again. "Don't go. I need you. I can't go back alone. They're good people, but I'm probably as much of an outsider as you are. We can work this out."

He leaned in and kissed me softly in the lips. "Go."

"Dave -"

"Go, Sydney. _Please_."

With trembling lips, I opened the door and stepped out. Sophia jumped off after me.

"Take care," I whispered as he started the car, again.

He nodded at me. "I will. I expect to see you, again, so you can't go dying on me, okay?"

"Yeah. You, too." With a final look, I closed the door and he did a U-Turn before disappearing down the road - the opposite direction of the farm.

I turned to the little girl who was staring back up at me with big, round eyes. "We'll be okay." I didn't know whether I was trying to convince her or myself as I took her small hand into mine and we both limped back together.

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE_

I know. I know. I'm _sorry_ , but my stories typically have a dark twist to it. And it's absolutely terrible of me to do it to a little girl. I'll try to make it up to you!

I've also decided against keeping Dave in the group. At this point in time, I doubt everyone else would even allow him to stay at the farm and Dave probably already knew that, so off he went.

Although debatable, at least Sophia's alive! I haven't killed her off, yet. I thought she deserved a little more character development in the story. How it's going to affect Carol, I haven't decided.

Thank you **galwidanatitud** , **Aka Breeno** , and **KilalaInara** for reviewing!

 **galwidanatitud** : I definitely agree that Dave's group would be terrible for Sydney to get involved in and I'm sorry‼ It _is_ Sophia! I had actually contemplated it being a red herring, but decided against that. I didn't want to spend any more time looking for her, so she's now found and other drama will ensue!

 **Aka Breeno** : I loved writing the Dave scenes! Too bad he had to leave. I'm not sure he'd ever be able to fit in with how the group is tearing itself apart already.

 **KilalaInara** : I'm so happy to see you here! It was such a shock to see Neal/Dave appear! I really wished that he had a bigger role in the story, even if it's only for a couple of episodes!

Thank you as well to everyone who has favourited and followed this story!

The last episode of The Walking Dead was actually a little slow for me. What did you all think?


	6. Confession Daze

**CHAPTER SIX: CONFESSION DAZE**

Sophia and I walked slowly and silently to the farm where it was completely dark, except for a small lamp on top of the RV. I had hoped that it was Dale up there and not Andrea because I've been shot at enough, today.

"Come on." I gently tugged the little girl's hand to the RV.

Dale was immediately down with a large grin of wonder on his face. "Sydney!" He enveloped me into a hug, ignoring the fact that I was covered from head to toe in blood. "You're an angel!" He turned to receive Sophia in the same way, but the little girl whimpered and hid herself against me. Dale immediately gave me a questioning look.

"Let's go get Carol first, and maybe everyone else." I patted the girl's head, trying to soothe her.

Dale nodded and jogged over to the tents.

I knelt beside Sophia. "It's gonna be alright," I whispered. "Your mum is here. You don't have to be afraid, anymore."

The girl didn't say anything.

I sighed before knocking on the RV door and stepped in. "Carol?"

The middle-aged mother groaned and rolled over before sitting up. "Sydney?" she mumbled. "Sydney! You're back!" She rubbed her eyes and gave me a once over. "What happened? Are you alright?"

I smiled at her. "Yeah. And I have a surprise for you."

I stepped out for a second and led the little girl back in.

"Sophia!" Carol cried out and was holding her daughter tightly. The little girl began to cry as she clung on to her mother like a baby koala.

I leaned the back of my head against the RV a little longer, just savouring the moment, before walking out to give the mother and daughter their privacy.

"Sydney!" I walked towards Rick who was jogging towards me. The rest of the group was not far behind him. "Sydney, Dale said you found Sophia?"

"Yeah," I replied. "But... I don't think you guys should go see her, yet."

"Why? What the fuck did you do to her?" Shane growled at me.

I glared back. "I didn't do anything," I told him before turning back to the others. "I found her in a very... traumatised state. I don't want anything that could provoke her.

"What happened?" Lori asked with Carl by her side.

I shook my head. "It's not my decision to say."

"Fuckin' bitch..." I heard Shane grumble as he walked off a little distance away from the rest of the group.

"Can I go see her?" Carl asked me with wide eyes. "She's my best friend. She knows I won't hurt her."

I bit my lips. "How about tomorrow?"

The boy looked down at his feet in disappointment. "Okay..."

"She's tired and she needs some rest." With that, I walked off, leaving the group to huddle around the RV. I noticed that Daryl was absent and limped over to his tent.

"Daryl?" I groaned in pain as I crouched down to see if he was inside.

"Where were ya?"

I turned quickly and fell over on to my back.

He walked over and gave me a little nudge with his foot. I groaned, again. "Stop." All the little injuries were really taking its toll on me, now. I wondered if I was going to end up a paraplegic. That fall really did a number on me. I closed my eyes and didn't want to open them, again.

I felt hands touch my arm where the bullet had grazed me. "Not Andrea, again, was it?"

I snorted and tried to whack him away with my other hand. "No."

...

Daryl was pacing back and forth near the edge of the forest. The foreigner had left by herself without telling anyone and she had been gone all day. Several times, he had marched into the forest, but each time, he marched back in frustration. Why did she just leave on her own? She was the one who told him to go in pairs.

He ruffled his hair angrily. He didn't even know which way she went. She could be anywhere. With Sophia already missing, they didn't need another person running off and going missing!

He kicked the tree in front of him before climbing it. He'd get a better view from up there, but he also wasn't sure if he was even facing the right direction.

For hours, he waited in the tree. His back was stiff from the uncomfortable seat, but he kept his eyes trained to the woods.

"Sydney!" he heard Dale cry out. His head quickly turned to look behind him and he cursed himself for choosing to sit in this particular tree.

As he jogged over to where the group had congregated around the RV, he noticed the light turned on in the vehicle, showing the silhouette of Carol and a smaller figure. Immediately, he felt a rush of hope and joy. Was it Sophia? Did Sydney find the little girl?

He continued to observe as the foreigner walked away and peered into his tent.

"Where were ya?" He watched, amused, as she tumbled over in an attempt to turn. There was no further movement from her, so he gave her side a little nudge.

"Stop," she moaned.

He frowned as he detected the tinge of pain in her voice. He crouched down and tried to differentiate whether any of the blood that covered her face and body was actually hers. He noted a tear in her sleeves and saw that there was a wound there - a bullet grazing. "Not Andrea, again, was it?"

She gave a feeble attempt to ward him away. "No."

The fact that her eyes remained closed concerned him. He began to search the rest of her body. He hoped that she didn't mind that his hand had already passed over two very inappropriate locations. "Foreigner?"

She didn't utter a word.

He shook her shoulder.

Nothing.

"Fuck," he cursed and rolled her over, still trying to find what was wrong with her. He managed to rip her shirt off and saw a large bruise that ran down from the base of her neck to the middle of her back. It spread across her shoulder blades where he could see abnormal bumps were protruding. "Fuck," he swore, again.

"Hershel!" he shouted to the animal doctor who had come out of the house to investigate the commotion.

The white-haired man slowly walked over to him, wondering what the hunter wanted. It became clear to him as his eyes caught sight of the still form lying in front of the man. "What happened?"

"Dunno," Daryl grunted. "Came back like that."

Hershel knelt down and gently touched the bruise. "She might have some internal bleeding and a broken shoulder blade." He sighed, shaking his head before standing up. "I'll go get the table." As he walked away he muttered, "The lot of you will be the death of me."

Daryl stayed crouching, helpless. What the fuck happened?

When Hershel returned with Maggie and Patricia behind him, wheeling a metal operation table. "Get her on the table. Be gentle."

Daryl had to flip her back over to pick her up. As he placed her back on the table, he managed to lay her on her stomach, with her head turned to the side. His eyes lingered on her fragile form. She had always been strong and independent. Now, she looked dead.

"What happened?" Rick had noticed Sydney being wheeled into the house and immediately came over. "She was fine when she got here with Sophia."

"Dunno," Daryl muttered, his eyes fixed on the house.

"Go."

The hunter looked at him questioningly.

"Go check on her in the house."

"Don't matter if I'm there or not," he told the officer. "She ain't needin' me for nothin'."

Despite what he said, when everyone was asleep, he slipped into the house. Hershel was still working on her. Blood covered his smock and Daryl could see that Hershel was trying to reset the fractured shards of her shoulder blade.

"It's not going to be perfect, but it's the best that I can do with what I have," the doctor told the brunet after he finished stitching the incision up. "She has a concussion and this bruise is really worrying me. The spine doesn't seem to be injured, but we'll have to make sure that the blood doesn't accumulate here." Hershel was gently massaging the bruise with his hands. "There is still a chance that she can end up paralysed. I want you to be prepared for that." The doctor looked at Daryl who had his eyes trained on the still form. "Help me get her on the bed. You'll have to stay here to watch over her tonight. Make sure she wakes up every two to three hours."

Without a word, Daryl gently placed her on to the bed and brought a chair over. It was funny. She had complained about not being on the bed when she had been injured the first time. Now, she wasn't even awake to enjoy it.

Throughout the night, he spent most of his time carving out arrows. Hershel wasn't going to be happy with the pile of shaved wood when he checks up on her in the morning.

Frequently, he'd glance at the clock to make sure that she hadn't slept for too long. She hadn't moved at all and he leaned over several times to make sure she was still breathing. When the first two hours passed, he gently nudged her. "Wake up, girl."

Not even a twitch. Fuck.

"Wake up," he growled "Fuckin' foreigner. Why da ya hafta 'cause so much fuckin' trouble." He hung his neck before giving her a soft tap on the cheek. "Wake up."

Panic began to slowly set in when he noticed that she wasn't stirring. "Fuck!"

He was about to call for Hershel when he noticed that her eyes were fluttering open.

"'Aryl...?" she mumbled.

"'Ey, foreigner." He was relieved that she had woken up and during his times of distress, he reverted to his default state. "Why did ya run off like that?"

He waited for a minute and when there was no response, he thought she was asleep, again.

"Was jealous," she slurred when he plopped back down on to his chair. He raised an eyebrow at her. "Was jealous of Carol."

"Why were ya jealous?"

"If I tell you, promise you wouldn't tell Daryl?"

His eyebrow must've disappeared into his hairline by now. He thought she knew that she was talking to him, but what really peaked his curiosity was that fact that there was something she didn't want him to know and he wanted to know it. "Yeah, promise." He felt a bit guilty for lying to her, but she probably wouldn't even remember this conversation tomorrow.

"Daryl likes Carol."

The statement caught him by surprise. Well, that was news to him, but surely she didn't mean what he thought she meant.

"You know, like... _like_ like," she expanded.

"Why da ya say that?" He wondered what made her think he was romantically interested in the woman who had just been reunited with her daughter.

Sydney looked sadly towards her pillow, a small pout formed on her pale lips. "He gives her flowers and he spends so much time with her."

"I don't." He cleared his throat and quickly corrected himself. "He doesn't spend 'nough time with ya? See ya huntin' with him all da time."

"I guess so," she mumbled with her pillow. "Want flowers from him, though."

"I'll tell him," he replied, but realised that this time, she had really fallen back asleep. He glanced at her still form before slowly pulling the cover away, exposing her bare back. The bruise, which was now a deep purple, was a stark contrast to her pale skin tone. He placed a hand on her back and held back a shiver. He hadn't touched a woman's supple, soft skin for such a long time and having the foreigner lying there, oblivious to anything was almost too much for him to bear.

If it had been his brother, he knew that Merle wouldn't give up the chance to violate her.

Suppressing his carnal urges, he began to gently rub the large bruise. He wondered what his calloused hands felt like to her. Did it hurt? Did it feel... good?

He groaned and quickly lifted the blanket back up to cover her. Fuck... He needed to take care of his straining pants, but he didn't want to leave her alone by herself. Anything could happen while he took care of himself in the bathroom. Maybe he could just stay here. She was unconscious and didn't seem to be on the verge of waking up anytime soon.

Getting up, he locked the door and plopped back on to the chair. Fuck it. This needed attention. He relaxed on the chair and stared at her. He was such a fucking pervert. If she ever knew about this, he had no doubt that whatever infatuation she had with him would be thrown out the window.

He groaned. He'd deal with that later if he had to.

...

I groaned as the violent rays of the sun attacked me. Where was I? It definitely didn't feel like I was in the confining sleeping bag and it didn't smell like grass.

I slowly opened my eyes and saw something red. With a frown, I blinked a few more times, trying to clear my vision before rubbing them with my right arm. Immediately the soreness of my back and left shoulder assaulted me. The events of what happened the day before came back to me. Sophia was back and Daryl... something happened with Daryl. He was missing when I looked into his tent. Then, that bloody bastard scared the shit out of me. I frowned. What happened after that?

Rotating my right shoulder slowly, I managed to grab the glass of water from the bedside table. Inside was a single orange flower with specks of red sprinkled along each petal of its six petals. Had this always been here? No. At least, not when Daryl had been injured. Who had brought it in? Maybe Carol?

"Finally awake?"

I managed to turn my head and looked at Hershel who was standing by the door. "Thanks for taking care of me. Didn't mean to be so much trouble."

He sighed and walked in with a tray of food in his hands. "You're welcome. You should also thank that Dixon boy."

I looked at him questioningly.

"He stayed up all night making sure that you weren't going to fall into a coma. You had a concussion and blood was accumulating near your spinal cord. He had to wake you up every couple of hours and massage the blood out." He set the tray down on the night table. "Only left an hour ago when I said I was going to take over."

I was surprised to hear this. Firstly, why wasn't he with Carol and Sophia? He had been so determined to find the little girl. Secondly, why didn't I remember waking up? Thirdly, _Daryl_ gave me a _massage_?!

Bloody hell...

"He came in a few minutes ago to drop that off." Hershel nodded to the flower that was clutched in my right hand.

I stared at him, shocked, and he walked away without another word.

Daryl had given me this flower? Why would he do that?

I turned my head and looked at the flower, again. Did this flower have a meaning like Carol's Cherokee rose?

For the rest of the day, Daryl didn't visit, but Beth had come in to feed me and Carol had brought Sophia over.

"You don't know what it means to me to have Sophia back." Carol held my hand before whispering, "She... She wouldn't tell me what happened, perhaps you can tell me later?"

"Yeah..." How was I going to tell her? Sophia wasn't just taken, she had been violated many, many times. "I'm glad Sophia's back."

Carol's eyes began to well up with tears. "You risked your life for her and... anything that you want, I'll help you."

I smiled softly at her. "You don't owe me anything. I'm glad that she's back. It'll be night to have another child in the group." I turned to the little girl who was looking back at me shyly. She had the small doll, that I saw Daryl find in the water, clutched tightly in her small hands. "Welcome home, Sophia."

I was alarmed to see that she began to sob and immediately looked at Carol for help, but suddenly, there was weight on my back and I barely suppressed a cry of pain. Shit! Fuck! Bloody fuckin' fuck!

"Sophia!" Carol reached over to pick her child off me. "Sydney is hurt. You have to be gentle."

I took in several shuddered breaths and blinked back the tears of pain. "I-It's al..." I swallowed. "It's alright." I beckoned the little girl with my hand.

She looked at her mother before taking a hesitant step towards me. "I didn't mean to hurt you," she whispered.

I smiled when I heard the angelic voice for the first time. "Don't worry, love. Didn't hurt at all. Was just surprised."

She nodded with half her face hidden by the doll.

"How are you feeling?" I touched her soft cheeks, which were slightly bruised.

"'M okay..."

"Good girl." I was surprised how well she was handling everything.

From behind the mother and daughter, I saw Daryl stop outside the room. He looked indecisive as to whether he wanted to come in or not, so I made the decision for him.

"Hey, Daryl."

Sophia's head whipped around to see the hunter and let out a shrill shriek before hiding under the bed.

My eyes widened at her reaction as Carol tried to calm her daughter down. I looked back up at Daryl who was just as shocked as I was, but I knew why she was probably behaving this way. "Later," I mouthed to him.

He gave me a curt nod before walking away.

"Carol, why don't you bring Sophia to Lori and Carl." In a softer tone, I said, "Make sure the men aren't around."

There was only a flash of confusion before horror quickly replaced it. "No..." Carol gasped with wide eyes. "No..."

"Sophia, you want to go play with Carl?" I asked the little girl, leaving Carol to let the new information sink in.

Sophia nodded and waited for her mother to bring her to Carl.

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE_

Ah… a not so right in the head Sydney. That was fun to write! I wonder what Daryl's going to do with the news of her half confession.

Thank you **galwidanatitud, KilalaInara** , and guest ( **Ant** ) for reviewing!

 **galwidanatitud** : You'll just have to find out how Sophia is going to deal with everything! And since Sophia didn't die, Carol might behave a little differently, too.

 **KilalaInara** : Hmm… The first Lil Ass Kicker… Maybe she can teach Judith a thing or two when she grows up!

Thank you as well to everyone who has favourited and followed this story.

For all of you who hasn't watched the latest episode, feel free to skip this part. I will try not to put any spoilers and only communicate through my emotional text.

And to all of you who watched the latest episode. I know it probably isn't what I'm fearing, but I can't believe they left us hanging like that! It's nearly the finale and a friend and I were talking about how someone in the original group might die soon! I really hope not. I've grown attached to all of them, but Carol and Daryl have been behaving a little odd lately. I don't know if it's part of the plot somehow or if the writing of the characters in general is going downhill. I hope it's not the latter! Other than the original group from Season One and Maggie, I don't think it'd affect me that much if they died for a good reason, even if it's only for emotional impact.


	7. Leopard Lily

**CHAPTER SEVEN: LEOPARD LILY**

That night, I finally told Carol what happened to Sophia. I knew for sure that she had been raped. Hershel had wanted to look at her injuries, but whenever he was in the room, she's scream and tried to hide, so Maggie had to check. Maggie wasn't as knowledgeable, but the evidence was clear. There were injuries to her nether regions and dark finger-shaped bruises along her legs and hip. The extent of the damage was unknown. Physically, she may never have a child when she grows up. Mentally, she may never even allow a man near her, again.

With how much horror that was already wrecking havoc on this world, it was difficult to imagine what Sophia was possibly going through.

Carol was able to finally gather herself together when she noticed how her crying was only fuelling her daughter to keep crying. She realised that her daughter was much stronger than she thought and the two aimed to move on from the entire ordeal. Carol had told the entire group a brief version of the story and most of the men kept away from the RV. The only one who stayed was Dale, but he remained on the roof, out of sight.

Daryl came by much later than I thought he would. When he came in, I was already asleep and I was woken up by hands running down my back. It felt good. It felt very, very good. I kept my eyes closed, willing for the person to continue.

I have had the privilege of going to the spa before and all the masseuse there had soft, smooth hands, but these were big and coarse. It felt strength that the women did not have.

"Mmm..." I let out a sharp intake of breath when I realised that I had moaned out loud.

The hand stopped.

I opened my eyes and saw Daryl standing motionlessly beside the bed. He looked almost bashful. "Daryl?"

"What?" he grunted. "Ya said ya wanted to talk later."

"Yeah..." I did, didn't I? Carol probably already told him about Sophia, so what was I going to say to him?

"Why did ya wander off?"

"Nothing," I mumbled. "Just needed some time alone."

"Said somethin' different, last night." I froze and stared at him. One side of his lips quirked upward. "Ya talked a lot. Somethin' 'bout bein' jealous?"

I swallowed and tried to suppress the blush that was already making its way to my face. I hadn't planned on saying that. "W-What else did I say?"

"Me an' Carol. Flowers." He continued to watch me, probably trying to catch any lies I was bound to tell him.

"What about you and Carol?" Perhaps he was going to tell me the extent of their relationship. At least, then, it would put my active mind to rest and I could focus on something else - like staying alive.

"Ya think we make a good couple?"

I stopped breathing. "I... You guys..." My heart sank. Maybe I didn't want to know, after all. "Why did you give me the flower?"

He shrugged before lighting a cigarette.

"You can't smoke in here!"

He popped the window opened and sat on the ledge. "Ya said ya wanted one."

"Is that all?" I asked, unable to keep the disappointment from my voice.

He shrugged.

I poked one of the petals. "Does this one have a meaning? Carol told me about the Cherokee rose that you gave her. It symbolised hope, right?" Was I sounding too desperate for his attention, now?

"It's a Leopard Lily. Actually an iris. Symbolises inspiration." He took a long drag of the cigarette. "Thought it appropriate after ya found da girl."

"Anything else?"

He shrugged, again. "Was used ta treat arrow poisonin'."

I couldn't help but laugh at how appropriate that was. Maybe that was really what I needed. A cure. Maybe that was his way of telling me to stop chasing after him.

"Ya don't like it?"

...

Daryl had a frown on his face as he tried to gauge her expression. What the hell did she want from him? He had went out of his way to get the flower for her - one that he thought was appropriate - and she's _still_ not fucking happy! The dumb bitch...

"It's not that," she mumbled, refusing to even look at him. "I just... The flower would mean more if you _wanted_ to give it to me instead of me asking for it."

Smoke literally shot out through his nose as he tried to suppress his irritation. Women... Why the fuck did they have to be so confusing?

"I'm sorry," she whispered when she must've noticed his frustration. "Don't worry about it."

He groaned and ruffled his hair as he looked at her downcast face. "If I didn't want ta give it ta ya, I wouldn't. Chose that one just for ya."

She peeked out hopefully from under her blanket. With only those wide green eyes staring at him, he was reminded how young she actually was. He frowned. How old _was_ the girl? Must be in her twenties. Much too young for him. He swallowed as he thought about all the inappropriate thoughts he had with her. Shit, he was probably a borderline pedophile. If Merle was here, he'd be laughing his fucking ass off. Shit...

"'M sorry for being so annoying," she quietly apologised. "I don't know why I'm being like this. Maybe it's the head injury."

Yes, blame the head injury. Maybe he'd fall for it. He snorted. Yeah, right.

"Maybe you should check on Carol, tomorrow. She'll probably need some comforting." He didn't know why she was always mentioning Carol. "She took it hard with what happened to Sophia, probably harder than the girl."

He got off the window sill and started walking towards the door. When he turned around, he saw that she had slipped her entire head under the covers and sighed.

...

I couldn't suppress the disappointment when I heard the door close. It wasn't his fault. I was the one who kept pushing him away, but Carol really did need his support. His absence would probably help me cope better with this stupid jealousy. If only Dave was here... Maybe he'd help me forget, again, but I felt bad for using him like that. It was even worse knowing that he knew I was only using him and he was okay with it. Well, he was. Obviously he wasn't when he left that day.

As I continued to ponder, the sudden dip of the bed brought me out of my thoughts. The cover was pulled off me and calloused hands pressed lightly against my back. From the corner of my eyes, I could see Daryl leaning over me.

He grunted and adjusted his position, so that he was straddling my legs. I gulped. As he moved backward and forward, I could feel heat gathering at my core. I quickly hid my face into the pillow and held back and moan. Bloody hell... Did he know what he was doing to me?

He suddenly stopped and leaned back. I tried to look up at him, but it tugged too much at the stitches on my left shoulder.

I wiggled a little, trying to get a better view, but froze as he let out a low, husky growl.

"Stop," he groaned. "Fuck..."

He shifted, again, and after a moment, he continued the massage. This time, however, I couldn't help but notice something poking at my lower back - something that wasn't there a few minutes ago. "Daryl..."

"Don't say ma name like that, girl." He leaned forward and I could feel his warm chest against my back. The pressure was uncomfortable, but not painful. His breath against my face made me shudder.

"Daryl..." I tilted my head so that our lips were only a breadth's length apart. His dark blue eyes were dark with desire. I wondered if he could feel my heart pulsing through my body.

Before he was able to close the distance, I turned my head, again and his nose hit my cheek. "Fuck, girl. What the fuck?"

"Carol," I mumbled into the pillow. "Can't do that to her."

"Whattaya talkin' bout?" he growled against my ear. "Nothin' between me 'nd 'er."

I slowly turned back to look at him. They weren't in a relationship together? "B-but... I thought..."

"Stop thinkin'." He took the opportunity to crash his lips on to mine and I groaned loudly. It felt much better than I ever could've imagined. Twisting my hand, I managed to pushed the back of his head to bring him closer. "Fuck..." he mumbled as he shifted to gain a better position. Somehow, he managed to readjust us so that he was under me with his arm around my waist.

"Mm... Daryl..." I sighed as I laid my head on his chest. For a man who was nearly completely covered in muscle, he was extremely comfortable. I slipped a hand under his shirt and stroked the toned abs underneath. As my hand neared the hem of his trousers, I felt the skin underneath tremble uncontrollably.

He groaned and pulled my hand out of his shirt. "Gonna make me do somethin' I'll regret if ya don't stop."

I smiled against his chest and quickly fell into a dreamless sleep.

The next morning, I was woken up with a massage on my back. I sighed and snuggle closer to my pillow, but stopped when I realised that it wasn't as soft as I remembered it to be. I took in a deep breath, relishing in the scent of grass and pure manliness, before opening my eyes. I looked up and saw his hooded eyes watching me. "'Morning."

"'Morning," he mumbled back. "How's yer shoulder?"

I tried to rotate my left shoulder, but winced. "Probably not gonna be able to do much for at least a couple more days."

He nodded and continued on gently rubbing my back.

The next few days to my recovery passed by like a dream. Since Sophia had been found, Daryl didn't have much reason to linger in the forest after a hunt, so he spent most of his time with me and we spent most of that time in bed - nothing too naughty, mind you.

Hershel had visited at least twice a day and we tried not to be in a compromising position whenever he came knocking. The veterinarian didn't seem perturbed that Daryl was always in the room and I was grateful that he kept it all to himself.

When he finally deemed me well enough to leave, I couldn't be more relieved. I began to slowly move all my limbs to try to get all the stiffness out and the blood running. Never thought I'd be so excited to be released back into a world that was full of flesh eating corpses.

As I slowly made my way across the grass to where my sleeping bag... was? I looked around and saw that it hadn't been strewn across anywhere. That means that Daryl probably stole it while I was absent.

I couldn't help the smirk that had spread across my face. I had stolen his tent while he was injured. I guess it was only fair if he did the same.

I walked over to his tent and crouched down. When I looked inside, I was surprised to find that not only was the sleeping bag in there, but there was also a small bouquet of Leopard Lilies. I crawled in and held it into my hands. So what did _this_ mean?

I turned around and let out a shriek. "Don't sneak up on me like that!" I shouted at Daryl who was crouching just outside the tent, staring at me.

"Ain't doin' no sneakin'," he said in his raspy voice. A cigarette was dangling between his lips.

I scrunched up my nose at him. "Gonna give me a heart attack, one day."

He smirked and crawled in before dropping his crossbow to the corner. "Hopin' to give ya somethin' else."

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow at him, teasingly. "I think these flowers are quite enough, no?"

He leaned over me. "No."

Just as he was about to kiss me, there was a gasp by the tent entrance and we both jumped apart to see Carol staring back at us in shock.

"Carol - "

The woman dashed off without a word, leaving us both dumbfounded.

"Da fuck..."

From the look on her face, I knew that I hadn't been too far off with my assumption that something may have been going on between Daryl and Carol, but it seemed that it was only one sided and Carol didn't know. "Maybe you should go after her," I told him. I didn't want any misunderstandings in this group, especially when I may be in the very core off it. Being the new person, it was already difficult trying to find my place in all this. I didn't want to be the reason that the group breaks up.

"Why da fuck do I hafta do that?" Daryl laid on his back with his arms crossed underneath his head like a pillow.

I gave him an exasperated look. "You know how I thought that you and Carol were together?" He nodded, confusion still on his face. "Well, I made that assumption while conversing with Carol. She spoke so fondly of you that I thought you must be with her and... I think she came to the same conclusion."

His tanned skin seemed a shade paler. "God damn ya'll fuckin' women." He sat up and ran a hand through his hair. "Why ya'll always givin' me so much God damn trouble."

He still didn't seem to want to comply to my request. "Daryl, she's an emotional wreck, right now. Just talk to her. I'll... I'll come with you if you want."

With a sigh, he finally conceded. He extended a hand, gesturing for me to go out first, which I promptly obeyed. "Nice view," he commented. I groaned when I realised why he wanted me to go first. That pig...

We walked over to the RV where Carol was sulking with Dale beside her. Thankfully, Sophia was nowhere to be seen. The elderly man gave us a sympathetic look before walking out.

"Carol..." I started when no one seemed to want to talk. "I'm sorry about how you found us and..." I paused to look at Daryl for help.

He seemed as lost for words as I was, except I guess he never was much of a talker.

"Daryl and I... Daryl and I are..." I stopped. What was our relationship like? Were we actually together as in boyfriend/girlfriend or were we friends with benefits? "Intimately involved." I frowned at my own words. How did that sound like to her? Did it make me seem like a whore?

"Just go away," Carol said in a tired tone. "I don't want to talk about it."

I bit my lips before nudging Daryl with my elbow. He shrugged. "We didn't want to hurt you. It just happened."

" _Please._ I just need some time."

I stared at her. The words seemed so familiar to me. Hadn't Dave said something similar? Carol had been so kind to me during my stay here. I didn't want to hurt her. I didn't want to lose her. "I'm sorry..."

"Daryl! Carol!"

We turned to see Rick walking towards us. "Sydney." He nodded his head towards my direction. "Glenn has something to tell us. It's important."

We gathered around the campfire. Glenn was the only one standing and he looked extremely nervous. He looked at the house several times where Maggie was standing. "There are walkers in the barn," the Asian boy finally blurted out.

There was a moment of silence where everyone let the new information sink in.

I turned to Daryl who didn't seemed too fazed, but Shane quickly exploded. "And when were you going to tell us this?"

Glenn looked guiltily downward.

Shane cursed and stood up. "We're gonna kill those motherfuckers."

"Wait," Rick stood with him. "We should talk to Hershel about this."

"I already did," Dale told us. "And what he does is none of our business. This is their home. We have no right to interfere with the way they do things."

"Dale's right," I injected. "We already found Sophia. Isn't that the reason why all of you decided to stay here in the first place? Now that we've found her, we can leave. We don't have to interfere with their way of life."

Shane actually seemed to consider this. I thought he would immediately reject any suggestions I made, but perhaps he was more reasonable than I had given him credit for.

"Then we'll redistribute the guns and leave tomorrow morning," he told us.

There was a murmur of agreements and protests. It was nice staying here where walkers weren't constantly trying to kill us, but knowing that there was a mob just a short walk's length away really put the damper to things.

That night, I laid in the tent, unable to sleep. I turned and saw that Daryl had his eyes closed, but I couldn't be sure whether he was actually asleep. Placing a hand on his chest, I managed to wiggle closer to him until my head was pressed against his side.

One of his arms slipped out from underneath his head and pulled me even closer to him. This may be the last night we'll ever get to be this comfortable - to feel this safe. I may have easily thrown into the open how we could just leave, but I've gotten used to this place and the memories that it held for me. I'd also miss the Greene family. No matter how adamant Hershel was that he didn't wish for us to be here, he had conceded every time and treated all of our injuries with minimal complaint. He was a good man.

What would become of this family if the walkers managed to get out?

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE_

I love writing Daryl and Sydney together. I hope you guys enjoy it just as much reading about them!

Now, on to the bloody season finale that left me frustrated and rather disappointed. I really, really wished that they hadn't left it like that, only for us to wait half a year for the rest! It just didn't feel complete. In The Talking Dead, they mentioned how comic issues are like this too, but the comics I read never require us to wait that long. Who do you think Negan chose? My bet is on Glenn.

Thank you **galwidanatitude** and **gypsyma91** for reviewing!

Thank you also to everyone who has favourited and followed this story!

I always like to hear from all of you.


	8. Walkers in the Barn

**CHAPTER EIGHT: WALKERS IN THE BARN**

The next morning, Daryl and I went out hunting - the first time since I was injured... again. We started our usual game of competition, especially since this may be our last day here. Why not end it with a feast?

"I don't understand why I'd never even seen a deer and here you are killing them left and right," I complained after my third squirrel.

He snorted. "They probably hear yer loud footsteps miles away 'nd ya need ta know how ta track 'em."

I sighed. Damn hunter... "Shut up..."

We walked back to camp with the dead animals in our hands. When we arrived, Lori was sitting with Carl, while the boy was doing some type of school work. I shared a look with Daryl and snorted at how ridiculous it was for them to even be remotely concerned for something so trivial at a time like this.

On the porch steps, Glenn and Maggie were sitting together whispering with distraught looks on their faces. I had only briefly noted before that they may be in a romantic relationship. It must be hard for them to deal with the situation.

"What are we going to do?" I slipped my hand into Daryl's and turned to him. "Is it right for us to break them apart?"

He looked down at me. "'E doesn't hafta leave."

"No, I guess not... But hasn't Glenn been in your group for a while, now? Doesn't he also belong with us?" I had heard that they had met since the beginning of the outbreak. It would be disheartening for the entire group to lose someone like Glenn. The boy was smart, uplifting, and kind.

"Nothin' else we can do 'bout it," Daryl grumbled. "Doubt da doc would let 'er go with us."

I nodded and peered around at everyone. Carl had said something to his mother before walking towards us with a frown on his face. "Carl? You alright?" I reached out to him, but he brushed me off.

"Yeah. I just don't want to do homework anymore when it won't even help me survive!"

Patricia and Beth looked at him before inviting him to a game of chest just on the porch. He happily agreed to be able to play something while he was here and sat down in front of Patricia. Beth stood beside them, setting the pieces up.

Daryl and I sat on the grass. We received a few curious glances, but no one said anything to us. I wondered how they would react if we sat a bit closer.

Seeing that Daryl wasn't really paying attention to what I was doing at the moment, I scooted up against him and laid my head on the side of his arm. He looked down at me.

"Whattaya doin'?" he murmured.

I shrugged and looked at the others. Their eyes were definitely fixed on us, now. I closed my eyes and snuggled closer. If Daryl wasn't going to object to it, I wasn't going to care, either.

Maggie show us a smile as Glenn began to walk away. Just then, we could see Andrea and T-Dog walking towards us. Carol came from the other side.

"Do you know what's going on?" T-Dog asked with a frown on his face.

Andrea from beside him looked just as confused. "Where is everyone?"

"You haven't seen Rick?" Glenn turned to look at everyone.

"He went off with Hershel," Andrea replied. "We were supposed to leave a couple hours ago."

"Yeah, you were," Daryl said, standing up. "What the hell?"

"Rick told me he was going out," Carol told them.

"Damn it! Isn't anyone taking this serious?" Daryl shouted before he spotted Shane walking quickly towards us. "Oh, here we go."

I stood up, brushing myself off, and stood beside him.

"What's all this?" The hunter pointed at the bag of guns that Hershel had demanded that we kept hidden.

"With me, man?" Shane slipped a rifle out of the bag and held it out the Daryl.

Without a moment to contemplate, Daryl took the gun. "Yeah."

Shane stopped in front of me. "And you? Gonna finally do something useful?"

I pursed my lips. I wasn't great with a gun, but I knew how to fire one. Surely that would be good enough if there was a mob of walkers.

I snatched the gun from him with a glare. "I've done plenty of useful things."

He scoffed before moving on to distribute guns to the others. The Greene females looked at us anxiously. "Look, it was one thing sitting around here picking daisies when we thought this place was supposed to be safe," he started. "But now, we know it ain't." He stood in front of Glenn. "How about you, man? You gonna protect yours?"

Glenn looked at Maggie before guiltily accepting the gun.

Shane, then, took the next step and asked Maggie, "Can you shoot?"

Maggie looked furious. "Can you stop? You do this - you hand out those guns - and my dad will make you leave, tonight."

Lori finally rushed over to the group with an alarmed look on her face. "What is this?"

"We ain't going anywhere, okay?" Shane told us. "Now, look. Hershel, he's just gotta understand, okay? He... Well, he's gonna have to." He knelt down in front of Carl, disregarding the look of belief coming from Lori and handed Carl a small handgun. "Now, I want you to take this. You take it, Carl, and you keep your mother safe. You do whatever it takes. You know how. Go on, take the gun and do it."

Lori pushed Carl behind her and snarled at Shane. "Rick said no guns. This is not your call. This is not your decision to make."

Ignoring Lori, I fiddled with the gun in my hand. I've actually never used a rifle before. I've tried a small handgun and I wasn't sure if it would be the same.

Hands reached around me and shifted the gun until I was holding it properly.

"Shouldn'ta taken it if ya didn't know how ta use it," he muttered into my ears.

I whacked him with the back of my hand before resuming the correct stance. I feigned shooting it and got a pat on the rear before Daryl moved away, a smirk on his lips.

"Oh, shit," T-Dog cursed as he spotted something coming out of the woods.

We all turned to see Jimmy clapping and provoking two walkers. There were metal clamps around their necks. My eyes followed the pole connected to it and saw Hershel leading the walker towards the barn. What surprised me the most, however, was seeing that the second pole was being held by Rick. Had he gone insane? Was he really condoning to the Greene's odd method of living - keeping these flesh eating corpses like pets?

I looked at Shane who was the first to react. "What is that? What is that?" As Shane ran towards the trio and the two walkers, Daryl followed behind the officer.

Lori and Andrea ran after them. "Shane! Shane, wait!"

I sighed and made my way over as well. Screw Rick and the Greene family. All of these people are bloody insane.

"What the hell are you doing?" Shane shouted at Rick who was trying to keep the walker front biting anyone - including himself.

"Shane, just back off!" Rick shouted back at him.

"Why do your people have guns?" Hershel asked without taking his eyes off his walker.

"Are you kidding me?" Shane shouted to us, pointing at the unbelievable display of idiocy. "You see? You see what they're holding on to?"

"I see what I'm holding on to!" Hershel defiantly told the enraged man.

I bit my lips and wondered what must be going through the white-haired man's head. I had assumed that the walkers in the barn were his relatives, but I didn't understand the rational of actually taking in strays. What the hell was he thinking?

"Shane, just let us do this and then, we can talk," Rick tried to reason with his former best friend.

"What you want to talk about, Rick?" Shane growled back at him. "These things ain't sick. They're not people. They're _dead._ Ain't gonna feel nothing for them 'cause all they do, they kill."

Daryl kept his gun trained on a walker as Shane continued. "These things right here, they're the things that killed Amy. They killed Otis. They're gonna kill all of us!"

"Shane, shut up!" Rick roared.

"Hey, Hershel man, let me ask you something." Shane cocked his gun. "Could a living, breathing person... Could they walk away from this?" Without warning, he shot his gun three times, straight into the chest of the walker that Hershel had captured.

"No!" Rick cried out. "Stop it!"

"Rick, have you gone mad?" I shouted back at him. "Haven't we established already that they things want to kill us? What the hell are you doing protecting them?"

The sheriff glared at me to shut up.

"Shane is right, Rick," I continued. "Why are we fighting to even stay here? You can say I'm cold-hearted, but... Leave them and their barn full of walkers. We can leave on our own. If anything happened - a breakage, someone falling into the bloody mob - who the fuck cares? They make their own choices, we shouldn't have to coddle them. If they want to stay in their bleeding delusions, let them."

While I was shouting at Rick, Shane was still trying to make Hershel see the reality of everything.

"Enough living next to a barn full of things that are trying to kill us!" Shane paced in front of the barn. The old wooden doors shook the chains that held them shut. "Enough Rick, it ain't like it was before!" He turned to the rest of us. "Now, if y'all want to live, if you want to survive, you got to fight for it! I'm talking about fighting right here, right now." He ran to where a pickaxe was hanging beside the door and began to break through the lock.

"Do not do this, brother!" Rick shouted at Shane, a last attempt to stop all the madness.

Hershel looked on, motionless. He looked devastated - broken.

Shane took several steps back as the chain finally fell to the ground.

I swallowed hard. This was it. We didn't know how much was actually in the barn, but with so many people armed with guns, it should be enough to take all of the dead ones down as they walk out of the door.

As expected, Shane was the one who killed the first walker that shuffled out. Not long after, there was a horizontal shower of bullets that rained on the barn. Even I managed to shoot several in the head.

Behind us, Beth was screaming loudly and Patricia held the young blonde girl as the two watched, devastated. Hershel was in a similar state. He was too shocked to do anything but hold the walker in his containment in place. Even the two that were entrapped were promptly killed by Shane.

Everyone was breathing heavily when the stream of walkers finally stopped. There still seemed to be a single, shuffling sound slowly coming out. It was probably the last walker.

We waited with baited breath until the walker came out. It was a young, dead girl coming out. It looked frazzled by the light, but was immediately attracted by the fresh flesh that was standing in front of it.

I looked at Daryl. "She looks like the girl from the cave," I whispered. Did that mean that they were twins? What happened to her parents? Were they also amongst the fallen walkers in front of us?

He looked away from the girl.

"Oh, my God..." Carol gasped as she noticed the young girl.

Everyone knew why seeing the little girl impacted them so much. It could've been Sophia.

Rick took in a shuddered break before steeling himself up and walked towards the girl. He aimed the handgun and quickly shot her.

Finally, when no more walkers came out, I relaxed and leaned against Daryl. He put his arm around my waist as I stared at how the Greene family seemed to have completely broken down. They were all crying and holding each other.

"Did we do the right thing?" I whispered. It didn't feel so right, anymore.

"Yeah..." He sighed and laid his head on top of mine.

I looked down at the gun still in my hands. "Then why do I feel so rotten? They were happy with just living in their own worlds and... who were we to decide otherwise?" I felt like such a hypocrite.

Daryl sighed and shifted behind me. "How's yer shoulder?" He began to gently massage my back and I wiggled a bit, embarrassed that the others might see. I turned around so that I was facing him instead. "Stop thinkin' 'bout it. Ya did nothin' wrong."

A sudden cry of heart-wrenching agony pierced through the air before Beth ran towards a female corpse. "Momma..." she wept.

My lips trembled as I watched the young blonde embrace her dead mother. Suddenly, the corpse jerked and grabbed Beth. The girl screamed loudly.

Everyone rushed over to help her. I noted that Shane was actually the first to help pull her away from the walker's grasp. The rest joined in soon after. Some of us were pulling her away, while others were pulling the walker off her. T-Dog gave the corpse several kicks, but it wasn't until Daryl shot the walker through the head did it finally remain motionless.

Beth was still crying out as Hershel embraced her and tried to calm her down.

No one really knew what to say. Today had been more momentous than any of us could've possibly imagined. Hershel had quickly disappeared with the rest of the Greene family into the house, which they had forbidden us to go into, but they hadn't kicked us out quite yet.

We continued to stand around the barn, speechless and not sure where to go from here.

"We should bury their family members and burn the rest," Andrea suggested.

There was a murmur of agreement, but it couldn't be done until the family were ready.

Daryl and I soon returned to our tent. My head was swarming with thoughts that I couldn't get rid of. "She could've been Sophia," I whispered to him. "What if it _had_ been Sophia?"

"But it ain't," he told me, simply. "Ya saved 'er."

What if that was someone else's little girl? Someone who lost her and... And..." What was wrong with me? Why was I being so emotional? "I'm sorry... It's been a long day."

"Yeah." He laid down and relaxed.

I curled up beside him, resting my head on his chest. "Do you think Hershel is still going to kick us out? When Beth was in danger, I saw that he was truly scared that the corpse would kill his daughter."

"Yeah? Then maybe he'd stop bein' a fuckin' idiot."

I whacked him hard on the chest. "He just didn't understand. It's hard to let go of what you had. It's hard to let go of your family and friends."

He turned over and wrapped his arms around me. "I know..."

"You said you had a brother once. Tell me about him," I murmured into his shirt.

He gave a little shrug. "Nothin' ta talk 'bout. He was an asshole. Loud - didn't know when ta shut his mouth."

"Do you think he's still alive?"

"Yeah." There was no doubt in his voice. "Motherfucker sawed off his own hand and got away. He's tough. Used ta always say that da only one ta kill Merle was Merle. I believe him."

I smiled. "That's good... How did you end up losing him in the first place?"

He began to tell me the stories during the beginning of the breakout, when he first joined up with Shane and his group. I fell asleep listening to his voice lull me.

The next morning, Maggie and Patricia managed to usher Beth and Hershel out of the house. We had a short funeral before the corpses were all finally laid to rest.

Hershel had quickly disappeared into the house and Beth had been silent the entire time, except for quiet sobs.

"Now, what?" I asked the group. "I don't think we can possibly leave, now."

"You're right," Andrea agreed. "The family's completely broken down and I feel responsible."

There were no oppositions, so we tried our best to keep the farm going as smoothly as possible. Unfortunately, what added into the chaos was Hershel disappearing. Maggie had come out of the house running, asking if anyone had seen him. Glenn was the first to jump to his feet and volunteered to search the town for Hershel. Rick agreed to go with him and the two took a car to drive to town.

While they were gone, Patricia had started to panic. Beth had fainted and no one knew what was wrong.

Having a degree in medicine, I asked if I could check it out and they were more than glad to agree.

I sat by Beth's bed where the pale girl looked even pastier than usual. I touched her forehead - it was cold. I checked her pulse - it was faster than usual. "Beth?" I gently shook the girl's shoulder. The girl began to stir. "Beth, can you hear me?"

Her unfocused blue eyes stared at the ceiling. She made no attempt to respond.

"Maggie, can you get me a torch?"

The older looked at me confused. "Torch?"

"A torch!" For a brief moment, I had forgotten the language barrier between English and bloody _American_ English. "A flashlight!"

Maggie quickly scurried off and handed a small one to me within a short moment.

I shone the torch at Beth's eyes and moved the light around There wasn't a lot of pupil movement or dilation. "I would suspect that she's in a catatonic state of depression."

"W-What can we do?"

"Do you have any sedatives? It might help with her symptoms."

Maggie looked distressed as she shook her head.

"Don't worry," I told the brunette. "I'll go to town and get it."

"I can come with you," she told me.

"No, stay here with Beth." I stood up and leaned in close to her ear. "Make sure she doesn't come in contact with anything she can hurt herself with."

Maggie stared at me with wide eyes. "You think she'll...?"

"It's a possibility, but what you need to do is stay calm and keep an eye on her." With that, I left the house with a single mission on my mind. I was about to ask Dale for a car when I saw Lori already heading towards the direction that the vehicles were parked.

Even though I didn't agree with everything the long-haired woman believed in, it would most definitely be safer to go in pairs, instead. "Lori! Lori!"

The woman turned and I saw the worry all over her face. "Don't stop me, I'm going!"

"What? No! Are you going to town? Can I come with you?" I didn't know what she was talking about, but I had to get Beth's sedatives.

Lori looked at me for a second before nodding. "Come on. I'm going got look for Rick."

We entered the car with Lori in the driver's seat. She seemed to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown, so I wasn't inclined to argue with her.

The ride there was awkward. Lori was telling me how Daryl had refused to go out to look for Rick and to go by herself. She ranted about how the men should be doing this and that she was already doing her job by cooking, cleaning, and overall keeping the camp from falling apart.

I remained silent. It was true that if Daryl went, it would be much safer, but I had seen how Lori constantly sent Glenn out to do her every little whim. On one particular run, I heard how Maggie had a close encounter with a walker. I also heard that Lori might be pregnant.

I shot a discreet glance at her stomach. Of course, it wouldn't be showing at this point, but I wondered how we were going to deal with it when the baby comes.

I glanced back up. "Lori, walker coming out from the right." It was quite a bit away. "Lori?" I looked at her and saw that she was looking at a map, confused. Bloody hell... I should've been the one driving, instead. With a suppressed cry of annoyance, I turned back to the front. " _LORI, WALKER!"_ It was only a metre away.

Lori tried to swerve away, but the corpse hit the windshield, cracking the glass. She overcompensated the car and the entire vehicle veered off to the edge of the forest, crashed into a raised tree root and began to flip.

I hit the roof of the car and as it flip back upright, my head smashed into the side window and I knew no more.

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE_

Uh oh… Bad decisions everywhere.

Sorry this chapter took so long to be posted! I went to the United States to visit both Disneyland and Universal Hollywood for the first time! My favourite place was the new Harry Potter world at Universal, but I'm so disappointed to know that the Walking Dead section wasn't going to be done until this Summer! I would've really, really liked to be there for that.

Thank you **galwidanatitud, Lilygirl95, clduncan** , guests ( **Nia** and **Guest** ) for reviewing!

 **galwidanatitud** : I'm so glad you enjoy how I'm writing Daryl and Sydney so far!

 **Nia** : I'm just hoping that I'm not making her Mary Sue! I'm always trying to be hyper aware of that.

Thank you as well to everyone who has favourited and followed this story!

Anyone watching Fear The Walking Dead? If you are, who's your favourite character (s) there? Mine are Strand and Nick, so far. Nick more so than Strand at the moment.


	9. Randall

**CHAPTER NINE:**

"Come on!" I groaned as I was jolted around by a pair of arms. "Get her legs!"

Slowly, I opened my eyes and saw the blurred form of a very damaged car. Where those my legs in front of me? One side of the trouser leg was ripped at the calf. "Shane...?" I rasped.

"I'm sorry, Sydney." Lori had a stricken look on her face.

"What happened?"

"The car crashed and there were two walkers."

I blinked my eyes a few times. "Why're you sorry? Was I bitten?" I wanted to check if I was injured anywhere, but my limps didn't seem to want to obey me.

"I - I don't think so."

"Oh..."

Shane managed to get me into the back seat of his car as Lori sat beside him. He was about to turn around, but awareness finally returned back to me. "Wait!" I coughed.

"Rick is back," Shane quickly replied.

I frowned at him. That hadn't been my question and how quickly he had replied made me actually anxious to know what he had done to the other man or whether Shane was lying, but I had other things to worry about right now. "No, I need to go into town and get sedatives for Beth."

I could see him wanting to turn back, but when he started the car, he drove on forward. I sighed and relaxed into the seat. How do I always end up injuring myself? It never happened when I was alone.

We arrived in town with nothing eventful happening. Shane was undoubtedly a better driver than Lori.

I limped over to the pharmacy and began to look through the shelves. I headed off behind the counter and finally managed to find the bottle that I wanted. I also retrieved some painkillers, sleeping pills, allergy pills, iron supplements, and antibiotics. Who knew when we'd have to leave?

"Got it," I mumbled to Lori who were aimlessly browsing around, while Shane was at the entrance with a gun in his hand.

We returned to the car and arrived back at the farm. When I stepped out, Daryl was in front of me with an angry look on his face. "Whattaya think ya were doin'?"

"Getting medicine for Beth!" I said, rushing over to the house.

He was at my heels. "By yerself?"

"Lori was with me."

"Fuck, yer injured." He grabbed my arm and twirled me around. My chest was pressed against his. "Shoulda told me. Woulda gone with ya."

I touched his cheek with the back of my hand. "But I'm alright. I should've told you. I'm sorry if I made you worry, but I have to get to Beth, right now. She needs this." He nodded and let me go, but followed closely behind.

Hershel was sitting beside Beth when I arrived. His hand was grasping the pale girl's.

"I brought the sedative," I told him in a hush voice. "Sorry, it took so long." I was early afternoon when Lori and I left and it was dark, now. I didn't know how much time actually lapsed when I was unconscious.

He stood up with a grateful look on his face. "No, you risked your life to get this for my daughter. I'll take a look at your head, in a minute."

"It's alright. I'm fine."

"You're bleeding."

That was news to me. I rubbed my head until I found a wet patch at my hairline. How did I not notice? There was a crusty trail of dry blood down the side of my face.

Hershel administered the serum and told Patricia to take care of Beth. He ushered me to the room that I had become tired of seeing and told me to sit down. Daryl, who had been waiting just outside the door, walked quietly behind us.

"You can't repeatedly injure your head." I winced as he dabbed the wound with a cotton swab that was dipped with antiseptics. "Take care of her," he told Daryl who nodded.

"Hard ta control da spitfire."

I smiled and whacked him.

Fortunately, I was let off easy, this time, with only a butterfly bandage on my head.

Back at the tent, I laid my head on Daryl's chest and completely relaxed. My entire body felt like silly putty. "'M surprised that no one's asked about us, yet."

He snorted. "Trust me - they have. T-Dog's been askin' all day. Dem girls been whisperin' 'bout it, but probably too scared ta talk ta me."

"I know for a fact that Carol is most definitely not scared of you," I told him.

"Ain't wanna talk ta me, either." That was probably my fault. "Rick 'nd dem brought back a boy."

I looked at him, curiously. "A boy?"

He told me that there had been a small shooting between Rick, Glenn, and Hershel with another - possibly hostile - group. While the other group was fleeing, one of the members had fallen and injured his leg. Rick had decided to bring him back. They had made sure to blindfold him on the way to the farm.

"Where is he, now?"

"In da farm. Locked it."

I bit my lips. A group of men with guns. I knew of only one other group stationed near here, but I was hoping that I was wrong.

For several hours, I was unable to sleep and I was keeping Daryl awake. I couldn't seem to stop thinking about the boy. "I need some air."

Daryl watched me as I slipped out of the tent. I looked at the barn that stood ominously away from the rest of the buildings. It was where the walkers had resided until recently. Before I knew what I was doing, I was in front of the large doors. The key was hanging on a hook on the wall. I took it. The key felt heavy in my hand.

I slid the metal into the lock and pulled off the chain. The door opened, revealing a dark, huddled form near the side. There were chains keeping him from moving to far, but he looked to be asleep.

I walked in, trying to catch a glimpse of his face. Did he look familiar? I couldn't seem to recall seeing him, but I also didn't stay around that camp for long.

"You," I heard a breathy voice say. "You're that bitch who caused all that trouble in our camp. We lost a lot of good men that day."

"Yeah? While chasing after me, I'm sure." I narrowed my eyes at him. "You can't possibly tell me that your group didn't deserve it - not after what you guys did to Sophia."

"Fuckin' bitch should've died..."

I saw the bud of a crossbow hit him in the head. The boy fell over to the side, cursing in pain.

"Who da fuck is he?"

I kept my eyes on the boy. "He's part of the group who violated Sophia."

"I didn't do anything to her! Not my type, man!" The boy's tone was different in the presence of the intimidating hunter.

Daryl handed me his crossbow before promptly punching the boy in the face. "Yeah? Did ya 'elp her?"

"I couldn't do anything myself! They'd kill me!" he cried out as a kick hit his stomach. "I swear! I would never hurt anyone!"

Oh, how he sung a different tune when he thought I was the only one in the barn with him.

"Yeh? Thought I heard ya threaten ma girl." My heart jumped when I heard him say that. His girl? I couldn't help the smile that made its way to my lips. I was his girl!

The boy scoffed. "Yeah? Do you really think that? Saw her with one of our guys - Dave, was it? Must've done him some nice favours to get him to help her like that. He was real high up with the rest of them. Wouldn't have just left like that."

...

Daryl gritted his teeth as he pulled the kid up by the shirt and punched him, again. "Shut the fuck up."

"You know nothin' about that whore of yours," Randall spat out. "Fuckin' whore."

He couldn't control the anger that was ready to erupt. His fist landed on the boy's already bruised and swollen face, over and over, again. He thought about how Sophia had been captured by people like him and he thought about how his girl had been with the other fucker.

"Daryl!" Sydney wrapped her arms arm him and tried to pull him away from the boy as he landed another punch. "Daryl, stop! You'll kill him!"

"Mutherfucker deserves it!"

"No! Not like this! Please, Daryl... Not like this..."

He continued to glare at the cowering boy. His breathing was heavy, but the anger was finally settling back down as he felt her warm body completely pressed against his back. "Fuck!" He spat at the form before letting the boy drop to the ground. "If I ever find ya talkin' ta her, 'gain, I'm gonna fuckin' kill ya."

He took Sydney by the hand and led her out of the barn. "Shoulda let me kill him."

...

"I don't like him, either, but we can't kill him like that," I told him, rubbing his chest before we both fell into the tent. I straddled his hip. "Stop thinking about it. I shouldn't have gone there. It's my fault."

"Damn righ' ya shouldn't ta gone there." He placed his hands on my hip. His grip was going to leave a bruise, but I ignored pain. If this was going to help him vent off the rest of his rage, then I was completely fine with it.

I slipped my hands into his shirt. He shivered as they brushed against the side of his ribs and pinched his nipples.

"Fuck, girl..." he groaned, grinding his hard on against me.

I moaned and pushed back down. "Daryl..." I leaned down and crashed my lips on to his as our bodies continued to flow together.

The next morning, I was not in the mood to get up or leave the tent. I just wanted to stay in here forever with those arms wrapped around me. I sighed and snuggled against the warm chest. We were both fully clothed, but last night had been extremely de-stressing.

"What the fuck happened to him?!" Both Daryl and I groaned as we heard Shane shout. This wasn't what either of us wanted to deal with.

"Let's just ignore it," I mumbled.

He chuckled. The vibration was lulling me back to sleep. "Good idea."

Unfortunately, the boy must've ratted us out because Rick had stormed over, shouting at us.

"Let's just keep ignoring them."

"DARYL! SYDNEY!"

I clenched my eyes shut before finally detaching myself from Daryl. Bloody hell..

As we both crawled out, Rick was watching us with narrowed eyes. "What did you do?"

"Bastard deserved it," Daryl muttered.

I ran my hair through my tangled red hair. "He's from the group who had taken Sophia. Daryl and I went into the barn and... one thing kind of led to another."

The anger in Rick's face softened before it was replaced with another rage that was redirected at the brunet boy chained up in the barn. "Did he...?"

I shook my head. "He said he didn't, but I don't trust him, Rick. I don't want him here in the farm, especially not with Sophia here. How do you think she'd feel?"

"We'll drop him off when his leg is better."

Hearing this, Shane didn't look to happy. "We shouldn't be held responsible for him and we can't let him go back to his group. He'd lead them all here!"

Daryl and I both agreed with Shane, but Rick was hesitant. "Let's vote on this."

Shane cursed loudly. "Why the fuck are we even debating on this?"

Despite three out of four of us being opposed to keeping the boy alive, Rick was adamant to ask the rest of the group first. I could see how restless Shane seemed to be. Something about him always unnerved me, but he usually made decisions that I was more inclined to support. I wonder what that said about me?

"Come on, gonna go hunt." Daryl shouldered his crossbow and beckoned to me. I gave Shane one last glance before following the hunter.

"Wait!" I grabbed a spare hunting knife and slipped it in my holster. I'm really running through these quickly... I should probably go find some before there are none left and the entire group hates me.

We travelled through the woods together. Daryl thought it'd probably be a good idea to teach me to hunt deer. He probably just got bored of me bringing in squirrels all the time. "Whattaya see 'ere."

I blinked and looked around. "Trees... leaves... dirt... more leaves... dead leaves... a bush.. leaves... some branches..." I picked a particularly sharp one up and slipped it through my belt

He snorted. "Look 'ere." He knelt by a patch of dirt that seemed to be recently disturbed. How did I not notice that? "Come on." He began to quietly move forward with his crossbow pointed forward. "Shh..."

I made a face behind his head before following him. After five minutes of silence, I finally spotted the deer. Daryl stopped and motioned me to get in front of him, which I promptly did, my eyes completely fixed on the oblivious animal.

He wrapped his arms around me with the crossbow in his hands. "'Ere." He moved my hands on to his weapon.

"What are you doing?" I whispered to him. "I can't use this."

He ignored me and continued to reposition my body until he was satisfied, but he remained pressed against my back. "Look through this."

"I don't want to do this, Daryl," I whined, turning to look at him.

He nudged my head back to the front with his chin.

I sighed and did as he instructed. I squinted my eyes and shifted my hand a little bit to the right. I pulled the trigger and watched as the arrow pierced through its head. The deer fell over - dead. "I did it!" I exclaimed, flinging my arms up and nearly threw the crossbow.

"'Ey! Careful with that." Even with the quick scold, there was a small smirk on his face. "I did mosta da work, though."

I tilted my nose up. "My kill." I walked up to the dead animal and pulled the arrow out. "Here. Your arrow."

"Bolt," he corrected me. "Not an arrow - bolt."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Yeah. Yeah. I got a deer!"

He bent over and began to lug the deer towards the farm. "Gunna be 'nough."

I was nearly skipping back as we travelled.

Unfortunately, the people on the farm didn't share my satisfaction. While we were hunting, Shane had somehow managed to convince Rick that Randall couldn't stay at the farm, so they drove off to somewhere they could let him go without having him coming back to find us. During the time that most of the men were away, Beth had finally become lucid, but had tried to kill herself.

I went into the house, wondering if I could help them in any way as Daryl began to gut, clean, and portion the deer meat. "Beth...?" The blonde girl was sitting in her room with bandages around both her wrists. "Beth, are you alright?"

"Yeah..." she replied, refusing to look me in the eye. "I just thought that it'd be so simple, you know? Just a few seconds and I wouldn't have to face all of this, again. I tried to convince Maggie to leave with me." I paled, wondering what would've happened if she had succeeded - how the entire group atmosphere would deteriorate. "But then, when I started... I didn't want to do it anymore." Her voice cracked. "I didn't want to die. I don't want to turn into those things, but I don't want to die. I'm only seventeen!"

As she began to sob, I sat on the bed and hugged her. "It's alright to be confused, especially now, but remember... There are so many people here who care about you; who will miss you when you're gone - your father, your sister, Patricia, and Jimmy. What about us? I care about you; our entire group cares about you."

"I know!" she wailed. "I'm so sorry! I think Maggie is angry at Andrea, now, but it's not her fault!"

I stroked her hair. "Don't worry. Maggie won't be angry for long. You know that your sister is very reasonable."

She nodded into my slightly damped shirt before pulling away to wipe her eyes. "I'm sorry about your shirt, too."

I smiled back at her. "It'll dry. This is probably the cleanest my shirt has ever been.."

She managed to let out a laugh. "Thanks, Sydney. So... everyone's been talking about you and Daryl." A mischievous smile made its way to her lips. "Well...?"

"Well what?" I avoided her eyes and pulled on the lint stuck to the comforter.

"Tell me!" Hearing her squeal with anticipation and curiosity made it difficult for me to even imagine the state she had just been in. "What's it like?"

"Haven't you had boyfriend's before? Jimmy?" I tried to redirect the topic, but she wouldn't have any of it.

She waved her hand dismissively. "Jimmy and I just dated a while back. Nothing happened, but come on! Daryl is such a loner. It's hard to imagine him opening up to _anyone_."

I smiled to myself. "Daryl's actually really nice. He'd do anything for the group." My smile widened at the thought of him searching endlessly for Sophia. "He's amazing, Beth. I never thought that it'd only take the end of the bloody world for me to find someone like him."

Beth let out an excited squeal. "Oh my God, do you love him?"

I blushed. "I'm not sure. I've never actually fallen in love before. I've really only dated once, but it didn't last very long. You know, with school and everything. It was my life."

She smiled knowingly back at me. "The way you look at each other reminds me of how momma and papa used to be. You should tell him!"

I shook my head fervently. "I can't! I don't even know it myself. Besides, I don't even really know what he feel about _me_. What if... What if it's not like that for him, at all? I don't want to push him to do things or feel things that he doesn't."

Beth rolled her eyes at me. "Like you said, it's the end of the world. Why are you even worrying about things like that?"

I ruffled her hair and stood up. "Leave the adult stuff to adults."

"Hey! You're only a little older than my sister! Don't treat me like a child!"

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE_

I still don't understand why Lori wanders off, so much. I'm sure her wandering had passed off to Carl who does the same.

I have also implied some stuff that is not quite rated M and I'm not sure I'll ever cross that line with this story. What do you guys think?

Thank you **galwidanatitud** for reviewing!

 **galwidanatitud** : I completely agree with you! I really question a lot of the characters' decisions, but I guess that's what makes the story interesting and something for me to write and expand with!

Thank you as well to everyone who has favourited and followed this story.

I'd like to take this little spot here to just write a blurb about all the tragedies that had occurred the past weekend. Christina Grimmie, R.I.P. I love making music covers myself and to see someone I had looked up to and watched for so long on Youtube to just be murdered like that is absolutely heartbreaking. After the entire thing with her mum battling cancer, but Christina being the one to die first… She had done nothing but try her hardest to be her best, whether it's to help her family or entertain her fans or just be a wonderful person in general. She had so much talent and even more potential to reach. No one had the right to take that away from her and for him to just kill himself right after. I feel like there's no closure to her death. My heart goes out to all her family, friends, and fellow fans.

Secondly, the shooting at the Orlando nightclub was absolutely horrific. I can't imagine being in a dark, enclosed space with panic all around. People shouldn't die for being who they are without harming anyone. There has always been a saying that we can't choose who we love, so why would gender suddenly come into play here? For so many people to die like that… I know there has been a lot of talk regarding religion, I believe there are always two extreme ends to any spectrum. Some people are kind and caring to a fault, while others have a mentality that if they don't like something, they will purge the world of it. Despite saying all this, I'm not here to start a religious debate. I don't want to see any of those comments later on at any point.

I just hope that everyone will spend more time with their love ones now and cherish every second of it.

Thank you reading and I hope that the next time I post, I won't have to do it with a heavy heart.


	10. Dale

**CHAPTER TEN: DALE**

Shane was enraged when he returned to the barn. Rick had refused to leave the boy to die and ended up bringing him back to the barn.

I shared a look with Daryl before approaching Rick. "Why is he back here?"

The sheriff ran his hand through his hair. "I couldn't leave him there, Sydney. He was tied up, there were walkers, and..." I could see how stressed he was, so I laid the topic to rest for now.

"I don't like him staying here," I said to Daryl as we lazily lounged against a tree. "I feel like having him around is going to cause trouble. Our team already seems to be falling apart because of him."

"Sydney? Daryl?" Dale was walking towards us with determination on his face. "Please try to convince Rick not to kill him."

My bit my lips.

"It's not ma decision," Daryl replied, saving me from saying anything that I might regret.

"Daryl, he's just a kid."

"He might've been involved in what happened to Sophia," I finally said. "How can you even ask me to believe that it'd be alright for him to be here?"

"You don't know if he actually did it. We can't condemn someone - _kill_ someone - without proof."

Seeing our unchanging faces, Dale walked off, shaking his head.

"How do we know if we're doing the right thing?"

"We don't," he grunted. "Only know what's good for us. 'Sides, ya know what they've done."

"Yeah..."

"Stop thinkin' 'bout it."

I took his advice and distracted myself with wandering around the woods, searching for walkers. There wasn't much else I could do on this farm to pass the time. If I went into the house, I knew that Lori, Maggie, and Beth would all take turns asking about Daryl and I. I really didn't want to replay the conversation that I had with Beth. It wasn't the type of conversation that I liked to engage in.

Before all of this happened, the only social life I had was getting into study groups and comparing notes with colleagues. The only other relationship I had gotten into only lasted a month before my boyfriend thought I wasn't spending enough time with him. I wish that he had understood, but it was difficult to blame him in any way. It wasn't the best time and I wasn't ready for a relationship. I hadn't seen him since the day of our breakup and I wondered what the chances are that he was still alive.

I slammed the dagger into the walker's face before swiftly pulling it back out. What would he think of me, now? I had developed muscles in place that I never thought would be possible for a trainee doctor like me.

If I had known that the world was going to be overtaken by flesh-eating corpse, I wouldn't have spent so many years of my life stressing over books and getting the best grades. What good were those numbers, now?

I rotated my shoulder slowly. It was still sore and got stiff often. If I wasn't careful, I could easily severely injure myself.

Looking up at the darkening sky, I decided to return to the camp. It would be more than foolish to stay in the woods when night arrives.

"'Ey, Rick wants ta talk ta us in da house," Daryl told me when he saw me return. He didn't look very happy. I had been adamant that I wanted to go think in the woods alone, but after a promise to stay close to the edge, he conceded.

We walked into the living room where the others were gathered. Everyone was there except Carl, Sophia, Patricia, and Beth.

"So... How do we do this?" Glenn started. "Take a vote?"

"Does it have to be unanimous?" Andrea asked.

Lori suggested, "How about majority rules?"

Rick looked at everyone. "Well, let's... Let's just see where everybody stands, then we can talk through the options."

As expected, Shane was the first to voice his opinion. "Well, where I sit, there's only one way to move forward."

"Killing him, right?" Dale spat out, glaring at the buzz-cut brunet. "I mean, why even bother to even take a vote? It's clear which way the wind's blowing."

"Well, if people believe we should spare him, I wanna know," Rick quickly tried to pacify the situation.

Dale didn't share the sheriff's sentiments. "Well, I can tell you it's a small group - maybe just me and Glenn."

Glenn immediately looked at the older man in surprise. "Look, I - " He bit his lips as Dale's eyes fell on him. "I think you're pretty much right about everything all the time, but this - "

"They've got you scared!" Dale quickly cut him off.

"He's not one of us," the Asian man argued. "And we've... we've lost too many people alright."

Realising that he wouldn't be able to change Glenn's mind, Dale turned to the two Greene members present. "How about you? Do you agree with this?"

Hershel remained silent, but Maggie looked like she was on the fence about this. "Couldn't we continue keeping him prisoner?" she asked, turning to Rick.

From beside me, Daryl shifted and replied, "Just another mouth to feed."

"It may be a lean winter," Hershel stated.

"We could ration better," Lori added.

Dale wasn't satisfied, yet. "Well, he could be an asset."

"Are we forgetting that his group kidnapped _my daughter_?" Carol finally let everyone know what she thought and I completely agreed with her.

"You didn't see what I did when I was in their camp." I would never stop arguing for the boy's departure, if not demise. "You didn't see how that fucking bastard _violated_ her. You also didn't see how he was speaking to me when he thought none of you were around. He's not the innocent teenage boy that you think he is. He's been changed by the group of his and - "

"We should give him a chance to prove himself," Dale cut me off. "He may have an attitude problem, but he might not have anything to do with what happened, at all!"

I felt like I was talking to a break wall that wouldn't see reason. There were so many things that I respected him for and one of them was his compassion, but in this case, I couldn't bring myself to agree with him.

Carol turned around and stomped out of the house. I knew that all she could think about was her daughter and what happened to the poor girl. It must've been difficult being in this discussion and having the people that she trusted actually contemplating the possibility of letting one of the alleged perpetrators into our group.

Glenn looked as if he was actually leaning towards Dale's side of the argument. "Put him to work?"

"We're not letting him walk around," Rick quickly intercepted before the idea became too big.

"We can put an escort on him," Maggie suggested.

Shane quickly shot the idea down. "Look, say we let him join us, right?" he started. "Maybe he's helpful; maybe he's nice." Before I could say anything, he turned to me and added, "Even though he hasn't showed that, yet." I closed my mouth and nodded to him, knowing that he was on the side of reason. "We let our guard down and maybe he runs off - brings back his thirty men."

"So the answer is to kill him to prevent a crime that he may never even attempt?" Dale asked, incredulous. "If we do this, we're saying there's no hope. Rule of law is dead. There _is no_ civilisation."

"Maybe the laws have to change in relation to our situation," I told him. "If this is still the civilisation that we all know and live in, then there would be a "fair trial" for people like him and he'd immediately be condemned just by association."

"We can't just kill another human being!"

"And we _don't_ live by those rules anymore," I growled, frustrated by how we seemed to be talking in circles and getting nothing done. "We have no laws in this world that would keep us _alive_ and _that_ should be our main priority - staying alive."

"Yeah," Daryl agreed, pushing off the wall. "We 'ave da sheriff here and his deputy. Wanta trial? They're da most qualified."

"And we're the jury," I added. "I say the vote should be valid."

"You saved him!" Dale shouted to Rick. "And now, look at us. He's been tortured. He's gonna be executed. How are we any better than those people that we're so afraid of?"

Looking at everyone, I saw that they were starting to agree with the enraged man, but Shane was as adamant as I was. "We all know what needs to be done."

"We haven't raped women and girls. The situation is completely different." I couldn't believe that I still needed to defend my position.

"No, Dale's right," Rick told us. "We have responsibilities."

"So what's the other solution?" Andrea asked. I couldn't tell which side she was on. "We haven't come up with a single viable option, yet. I wish we _could_."

"So let's. Work. On it!" Dale wouldn't accept that killing the boy could be a viable option.

"Alright." Rick sighed and looked as if he wanted to end the discussion. "Anybody who wants to floor before we make a final decision has the chance."

No one said a word for a long time. I looked at Daryl who shot me a contemplative look. I wondered if he was actually changing his mind. When I looked down, he squeezed my hand and his eyes told me that he was still on my side. He understood where I was going with it. I tried to smile back at him, but I was so tired of debating about this.

"You once said that we don't kill the living." Dale tried one last time to convince Rick.

"Well, that was before the living tried to kill us."

"But don't you see? If we do this, the people that we were - the world that we knew - is dead," Dale ground out. "And this new world is ugly! It's... Harsh. It's... It's survival of the fittest! And that's the world I don't wanna live in and I don't... I don't believe that any of you do. I can't! Please... Let's just do what's _right_." When he saw that no one was willing to speak up, he gave one last push. "Isn't there anybody else who's gonna stand with me?"

After a moment of thinking, Andrea said, "He's right. We should try to find another way."

Rick looked around. "Anybody else?"

Nothing. There were no more agreements.

We all look at Dale, wondering how he was going to react, now.

"Are y'all gonna watch, too?" he spat out. We averted out gaze. "No, you'll go hide your heads in your tents and try to forget that we're slaughtering a human being. I won't be a part of it."

As he walked by Daryl and I, he stopped. "This group _is_ broken."

Neither of us could meet his disappointed eyes. No matter what we agreed on, Dale was a crucial part of our group. He was like our good conscious and by going against him, I felt as if we were going to end up descending into a never-ending spiral of doubt and bad choices. I knew he was doing all this for the good of all humanity, but perhaps that truly wasn't the way to live anymore.

In a situation like this, survival of the fittest was the only way to live. Civilisation isn't going to magically form a solution for us. We had to build those foundations, again. We had to segregate ourselves from the people who were not good for our own.

"Sydney, you're the only one who was there."

"And you know what I think, Rick." With that, I turned and left.

I heard the quiet footfalls of Daryl right behind me. "That guy," he started as he walked beside me to our tent. "That guy ya kissed."

"I don't want to talk about that, Daryl. You know what happened already - why I did it." I didn't even look at him as I sped walked.

"No." He spun me towards him just as I was about to enter the tent. "Not talkin' 'bout that. He ain't bad. Kid could be - "

I shook my head. "Don't want to talk about that, either. My mind is made. He's a fuckin' bastard. Dave would never speak to me that way."

"No, but he didn't need ta speak. He kissed ya."

"Daryl! I already told yo -" I was quickly cut off by his lips on mine and I tumbled backwards in shock. My heel hit a rock and I fell. "Bloody hell... Mmph!" His lips came crashing back down. "Daryl, wha -" His hands caressed the skin under my shirt. I moaned and wrapped my legs around his waist. "Fuck, tent..."

He managed to scoot us the rest of the way out of prying eyes. I tightened my legs around his waist and flipped us over, so that I was on top. He grunted and propped himself up with his elbows.

I nuzzled his neck before nibbling on the skin over his pulse.

"Syd... Fuck..." He ground his groin against mine.

I moaned and pressed myself closer to him. "Daryl..."

Suddenly, there was a scream that caused us both to jump. Our eyes were wide with shock and confusion before we scrambled out with weapons in our hands.

"Rick! Rick, what's going on?" Before the sheriff could reply, I spotted the broken body of Dale. His intestines were spilling out of his body, but what was making me feel nausea was the fact that he was still alive. His wide eyes were staring at us and when he opened his mouth, I could only hear the gurgles of blood spurting out.

I shuddered and shook my head, taking a step back. Was this really the man I had been angry with? Had I just argued with him for the entire evening?

Muffling a sob with my hand, I turned around and ran.

...

Daryl turned his head from the gruesome scene when he heard Sydney let out a whimper before running off. He swallowed hard.

"Motherfucker!" Shane swore as he shot the walker that had done this. "Fuck!"

Daryl looked at everyone who was still present. His eyes landed on Carol who was trying to shield Sophia from the sight - the same for Lori with Carl. As he turned his head to the men, they all looked frozen on the spot.

Gathering up his resolves, he walked over and knelt beside Dale. "I'm sorry." He had his gun in his hand, holding it near Dale's temple. The older man looked up at him. There was no fear in those wise eyes - only understanding and gratitude. Perhaps he feared that no one would have the heart to end his suffering. "Ya were a good man, Dale." With one last look, the dying man pressed his head against the gun.

 _Bang!_

Daryl shut his eyes and quickly walked away in the direction that he had seen Sydney disappeared to. He found her curled up beside the tree in front of their tent. "'Ey..." He sat down and gathered her into his arms. Immediately, she wound her around and legs around him. Her face was buried against his neck and he could feel the tears being soaked into his shirt.

He had never been good at comforting women. His mother died when he was only three and his only other female contact were with several whores that his brother thought might make him loosen up a bit.

This was different. He couldn't comfort Sydney with a wad of cash, so all he could do was hold her.

He wondered what she must be feeling. There had been so much emotional tension between her and Dale. This must have hit her hard - much harder than the others would know. No one wanted the last memories of their friends to be a disagreement.

They stayed against that tree for the rest of the night - neither of them were able to fall asleep. Every once in a while, he could feel her twitch and try to suppress another sob. Her tears had dried up many hours ago and so had his shirt, but the feeling of dread, remorse, and loss hung over them like a nightmare that they couldn't wake up from.

Just a little distance away, Daryl could hear T-Dog and Shane digging up the grave. He also knew of the tension between the officer and Dale. He hadn't put it past Shane to actually shoot the man one of these days, but seeing the reaction yesterday almost confused Daryl. Shane should've been glad that Dale died; instead, the officer was frustrated and angry.

As dawn arrived, he felt Sydney untangle herself from him. Her eyes were red and puffy, but she was still so beautiful to him. He ran his fingers down the side of her face. "They're gonna have da funeral, soon."

She nodded, wordlessly, before standing up.

The two of them walked over to the newly dug out earth and watched as Dale was slowly being buried. Few words were spoken. Rick had given a brief speech of all the goodwill that Dale had contributed in the group. As a final statement, he had decided that Randall was to be spared because that was what Dale would have wanted.

Daryl looked down at Sydney's reaction, but there was none. She was all cried out and probably numb to it all. The argument must've seemed trivial, now. He slid his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. Somehow, they were all going to have to live through this because he was sure that this wouldn't be the last time that they'd have to bury a friend or family.

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE_

I was quite sad that Dale died. He was a good man, but this is only the beginning. They're going to lose the farm, soon… I'll be putting my own twists and turns there. I hope you guys won't hate me.

Thank you **galwidanatitud** and **celia azul** for reviewing!

 **galwidanatitud** : Randall really was a bit of a sleaze, wasn't he?

 **celia azul** : I saw quite a lot of Carol and Daryl stories and rumours going on. I really don't see them together either and I'm happy that it still hasn't happened. I typically see Daryl as a lone wolf… But that's a bit hypocritical of me because I enjoy reading him with different OCs together.

Thank you as well to everyone who has favourited and followed this story!

I promise that I'll update sooner if I get more reviews to motivate me on!


	11. I Love You Goodbye

**ELEVEN: I Love You; Goodbye**

After Dale's death, Hershel was adamant that everyone would stay in the house. Randall, the boy, was kept in a locked barn, which should keep him safe from walkers and keep us safe from him.

Andrea had taken Dale's death the hardest. It had lit a fire inside her. She was more determined than ever to learn how to defend herself and Shane was more than happy to comply. The pair often went out alone into the woods, armed with guns.

I was the opposite, I had tried to go out hunting with Daryl, but couldn't seem to focus enough to catch anything. I had opted to stay in the house, while Daryl provided for us. There was no use distracting him from his work.

Most of my time away from Daryl was spent with Sophia and Carl. Sophia had been doing better since she was first reunited with her mother. She could carry out conversations with the men, but touching was still a problem, especially when it was bare skin on bare skin.

Lori, however, seemed the happiest that I was now in the house. Andrea and Carol were often outside and the brunette mother needed someone to talk to. She was also glad that I had stopped "acting like a man," as she had so kindly put it. I was too tired to argue with her, so I'd just give her a silent nod. It was difficult for me to converse with her. Her views heavily clashed with my own and she was never shy to tell us what are positions in society were.

"I'm stuck, Sydney!" Sophia was waving a paper filled with numbers and squares in front of my face.

I smiled at her and looked at the sheet, quickly going through each number until I found several errors. There was no point for her to try to fix it, the mistake had already taken a life of its own and each step after was another mistake. There was really no point to tell her to fix what she did wrong because the initial error was nearly impossible to identify, so I merely drew her another puzzle to solve.

She happily took it and ran off to find Carl who had been helping her.

I looked out the window. Inside the house, it felt like life was still normal. It didn't feel as if the world was infested with flesh-eating corpses nor did it feel like most of our friends and family were probably all dead.

A figure in the distance caught my attention. From the lack of hair and body structure, I could only assume that it was Shane. What was he doing by the barn?

I quickly made my way out of the house and towards the barn. He had disappeared inside before I can reach him, but when he reappeared, he wasn't alone. "Shane? What are you doing?"

He shot a glance at the teenage boy who was blindfolded and had his hands tied behind his back. "Nothing you should worry about." His voice was threatening. He leaned over and whispered into my ear. "This ain't anything that you don't want. We both know what has to be done and I won't allow a dead man to put everyone in danger."

When realisation hit me, I frowned at him. "You can't possibly mean that you're gonna..."

"Yeah, I am and you're not gonna tell no one about it, understand?"

I nodded. Not because I was afraid of him, but because he was right. I had allowed Dale's death to consume me, but moping around wasn't going to do anyone any good. I had to get back into the mindset of surviving.

"You can trust me, Shane, but... you owe me one." I didn't want to get on that guy's bad side, but I also wasn't going to let him off easy.

His nose twitched, but he nodded nonetheless. Without another word, he pushed the kid towards the forest. I could only hope that I was doing the right thing.

"'Ey." Daryl plopped down on the couch beside me, crossing his legs and rested his left arm on my shoulders. "Whatcha been doin' all day?"

I actually contemplated telling Daryl what I had sworn to secret with Shane, but at the last second, I clammed up. "Nothing. Just... Just spent the day with Sophia and Carl and... you know? Trying not to let Lori get to me too much."

He chuckled. "Had a fun day, huh?"

I hummed in response and leaned against him.

"Wanna go outside? Hate bein' inside all da time."

"Yeah." I looked up and smiled at him. "Yeah. I wanna go outside. I'm tired of thinking about what happened. I want to go hunting with you, again."

He smirked. "'Bout damn time. Not da same without ya."

We strolled out with the full intention of just enjoying the breeze when Shane burst out from the woods with blood running down his face. I swallowed hard. What had happened? Did he kill Randall?

"Rick! Rick!" Shane was the perfect actor, I realised. I had heard stories of how he may have killed Otis to save his own life when they were getting medicine for Carl.

"What happened?" Rick asked in alarm.

"He's armed! He's got my gun!" He touched his forehead where the blood was still wet. "Little bastard just snuck up on me. He clocked me in the face."

Rick turned to the others. "Alright. Hershel, T-Dog, get everybody back in the house. Glenn, Daryl, come with us."

I looked at Daryl in alarm. I didn't want him with Shane, right now. The man seemed crazed and I feared what else he was capable of.

"T, I'm gonna need that gun," Daryl told T-Dog. He extended his hand to take the weapon as it was handed to him and I quickly pulled him to me into a kiss.

"Daryl, be careful of Shane," I whispered against his lips. "Don't ever be caught alone with him."

He gave me a meaningful look. "I can take care of ma self, Syd."

I stroked his face. "I know. I know. Just be careful. Promise me."

"Syd..."

" _Promise me_."

He brought me back into a kiss. "Yeh, I promise. Promise ta come back ta ya safe 'n sound, good?"

"Yeah..."

I watched as he parted with Rick, Glenn, and Shane. T-Dog ushered me towards the house with quick words of assurance. I tried to smile back at him, but it was difficult. I knew that Daryl could take care of himself in the situation of walkers, but with humans, they were unpredictable.

I sat behind locked doors until I couldn't take it anymore. "T-Dog, it's been hours. I need to go see what's going on."

"Are you kidding me, girl? Daryl's gonna kick ma sorry ass if I let you out!"

"I can't just sit here, anymore." I stood up and walked over to the door. "If Daryl comes back before I do, just say that I sneaked out. I'll be fine. Don't worry."

T-Dog still looked uncertain, but I was already unlocking the door when he stopped me. "Here, take this."

I gratefully accepted the handgun and quickly made my way to the woods.

What was taking them so long? Shane wouldn't kill all three of them, would he? I could see his affection for Lori and Carl. They needed the men to protect them because no matter how good Shane was, he wouldn't be able to defend them all.

I wandered around without a single walker approaching me, but there were several decaying bodies scattered around that I assumed were taken down by the four men.

I didn't go to deep into the forest, I wandered near the edges around the farm until I heard two familiar voices.

I burst through the trees and into a clearing where I could see the farmhouse. In front of me was Rick and Shane. They were fighting. I didn't see Daryl nor Glenn and wondered if something had happened to them that had caused this. I could see a knife in Rick's hand and a gun in Shane's. My own firearm was clenched tightly in my hand.

As I see them break apart and charge at each other, I ran forward, screaming for them to stop. "Rick! Shane! No!"

My body hit Shane's, saving him from the plunge of Rick's knife and also keeping him from shooting the other man. Unfortunately, his finger had pulled the trigger and the pain of the bullet grazing my cheek made me grit my teeth. "Stop it, you two!"

I stayed on top of Shane before hitting his wrist with the butt of my gun. He let go of his weapon and didn't bother picking it up, again. As a precaution, I whacked it away. "What the hell did you guys think you were doing?!"

"He brought me here and was gonna kill me, Sydney," Rick told me.

I looked down at Shane who was still breathing heavily before turning back to Rick. "Where's Daryl?"

"He's fine!" Shane grunted. "Paired up with the Asian. Thought I'd kill him? Not dumb enough to try."

I felt relief hit me. Daryl was fine, as far as I knew, but this tension between the two former partners needed to end before it tore the group apart. "Shane, what the fuck did you think you were doing? Is it about Lori? Carl?" He didn't look at me. "You can't do this. They need _both_ of you. It's the end of the fuckin' world and the two of you are trying to fuckin' kill each other. Tell me how logical that sounds. Tell me how Lori or Carl would react if they knew that either or both of you are _dead_."

They both had guilty looks on their faces.

"You know how Lori is. She's a domestic mother and the way she's teaching Carl would get him killed," I continued. "He needs both of you to teach him how to survive in this world. Rick, you have so much compassion in you and Shane, you know you're bloody fantastic with the gun." I saw that both of the men seemed to have calmed down drastically. "So, please, think about Lori and Carl if nothing else."

Just after I finished, there was a quiet, confused voice that pierced through the thick tension. "Dad?"

We looked towards the farm where Carl was standing just outside the fence. He looked puzzled. A gun was pointed at our direction, but Rick quickly defused the situation.

I gave Shane a meaningful look before standing up. "Remember what I said."

He ran his hand on top of his short hair before nodding. "Yeah..." He walked over and retrieved his gun.

The four of us began to slowly walk back to the house, relieved that the drama seemed to have dissipated.

"What were you guys doing out here?" Carl asked, looking at his father who mumbled something incoherent. "I thought you were looking for..."

I rolled my eyes and fabricated some lie. "I bumped into these two arguing and they thought I was one of those walkers and nearly killed me. Not the first time as I'm sure you know."

The little boy laughed and nodded his head. "Andrea's better now, isn't she? Shane taught her."

I smirked and nudged the buff man with my elbow.

He ignored me.

Just as we were about to climb over the fence, I spotted a walker from the corner of my eye. "Hey, guys..."

It wasn't just one or two. No, there was a large mob of them.

"Shit!"

We ran the rest of the way to the farmhouse where some of the walkers were already there.

I shot the one that was looming over Carol who gave me a grateful look. I nodded back at her.

"Where are these guys coming from?" I shouted at Shane who was beside me.

"Fuckin' bastards must been the ones from the highway," he replied, taking down several more of the reanimated corpses. "Find Lori and get the children into a car." Of course, Lori. Bloody hell...

"Carol, get you and Sophia into a car. I'm going to find Lori. Carl should be with Rick, right now." I slipped the gun out of my belt and took out the dagger. I couldn't afford to waste all the bullet, yet. "Lori?!" I shouted over the madness. "Lori?!"

I readjusted my grip on the dagger before slamming it into one of the walker's eye. Several more quickly took its place and I ran. "Lori?!"

I kicked one of the walkers down, but as I turned, it pulled me down. "Fuck!" This was a terrible position to be in. I was on my stomach with these killers swarming me. I shot the one holding my ankle and scrambled to my feet before another two could grab me.

I looked over to the porch where I saw Lori with Beth and Patricia. There was a loud scream as one of the walkers grabbed Patricia and blood gushed everywhere when it bit into her neck. I shot the thing that killed her before using another bullet to end Patricia's misery. Fuck... I probably only had one or two bullets left, if I was lucky.

"Go!" I shouted to Lori. "I'll cover you guys!"

I pushed the closest walker away and killed the other one approaching me.

"Sydney! In the car!" I heard T-Dog shout at me. I turned around, but saw that the path to the pickup truck was already blocked. Shit.

"Leave without me! I'll catch another ride!" I shouted back, already backing away.

T-Dog looked reluctant to leave me by myself, but I had already run off.

"Sydney! Sydney!" I stopped to see Carol with Sophia. They were backed against the barn doors.

"What the hell are you still doing here?" I was frustrated, confused, and scared. I didn't want another responsibility on my hands. "Didn't I tell you to get into a car?"

"We couldn't," she cried out. "There were walkers everywhere. We had nowhere else to go."

I let out a puff of air and swung the dagger through a rotting head, in frustration.

The sound of a loud engine muted the walkers' growls. I was hoping that it was a truck or even just a car, but seeing Daryl on the motorcycle, I knew that I had a decision to make. He glanced between me and Carol with her daughter. From the expression on his face, there was no doubt that he knew what I was thinking.

"No, Syd..." he whispered, shaking his head.

I gave him a weak smile. "You have to. We have no time to argue." I turned to Carol and Sophia. "Go. Get your daughter to safety."

Carol hesitated, but thinking solely on her child, she helped the little girl on to the seat behind Daryl and sat behind her. "Thank you, Sydney. I better see you, soon."

"Yeah..." Empty promises. That was all I could give her.

Daryl swallowed hard. "Sydney, I..."

I ran over and crashed my lips on to his. "I love you, Daryl. I love you."

"I..." His lips trembled and I could see the tears at the corner of his eyes. "Girl, I'ma come back for ya. Don't sound like we ain't gonna see each other, 'gain."

I shook my head. "No, you can't. It's going to be completely inaccessible by then and I won't be staying here. You know I've been surviving by myself for a long time. I have a few tricks up my sleeve." It was not a promise, but it was the best that I could do. "No, go. You don't have much time left."

He revved up the engine and with one last glance, I watched him leave.

Sure, it was great to say and do all those selfless things, but it sure didn't feel good. It sure made me regret all those choices. I wanted to be with Daryl. I wanted to live and see the end of this hell, but it was all impossible, now. There was nowhere to run.

I glanced at the gun in my hand and checked the bullets. One left. How appropriate.

...

 _Bang!_

Daryl looked behind him. He couldn't see anything moving, except for those damn geeks. There were no more shots fired and he could only hope that Sydney had managed to get away. She was smart. She was resourceful. She knew her way around the woods. She knew how to survive. There should be no doubt in his mind that he'd see her again, so why didn't he believe it? Why did it feel like this was going to be the last time he'd ever see her.

When she kissed him and said that she loved him, he couldn't even get those damn words out! Fuck! Now... Now, he wasn't ever gonna be able to say it because he wasn't ever gonna see her, again.

"Daryl..." He ignored the voice. "Daryl, she'll be alright. She's a smart girl and she promised."

He thought back to their hasty parting words. No. No, she didn't promise shit. She danced around, spewing out words that didn't mean fucking shit! It didn't matter if she was smart and resourceful of she was dead. It didn't matter if she loved him if she was fucking _dead._

"Daryl? Sydney's going to be okay, right?" Sophia's soft, fearful voice made him refocus on the road. No, she ain't fucking gonna be okay. She was gonna fucking die.

A hand reached over and he saw a familiar white rose in front of him.

"Yeh. Sydney's gonna be fine."

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE_

As sad as I am, I had to leave her behind. On The Walking Dead, no one is safe. The question now is, how is Daryl going to move on?

Thank you **galwidanatitude** and **celia azul** for reviewing!

 **galwidanatitud** : Is it too early to lose Sydney, too?

 **celia azul** : I definitely agree with you on that. On the show, it'd make my life happier and easier if he remained a loner.

Thank you as well to everyone who has favourited and followed this story!


	12. Gone

**TWELVE: GONE**

A little over six months had passed since they had lost Patricia, Jimmy, Andrea, and Sydney. They had recently found a prison and cleared up one of the courtyards. Lori was really starting to show, at roughly eight months, and traveling had become difficult. She stayed behind Rick most of the time, in fear of losing her child.

Daryl had been quiet the entire time.

Right after they met at the highway, he had convinced Rick and the others to wait for a little longer, but they couldn't risk bumping into the mob, again. They ended up camping somewhere nearby in the woods and every day, Daryl would visit the road, hoping that Sydney would show up. It was just like when they had lost Sophia, again. Carol and her daughter would often wait with Daryl, but whenever they tried to converse with the hunter, it was like speaking to a brick wall.

After a month, Shane couldn't take it anymore and insisted that Sydney and Andrea were dead and all they were waiting for were their dead bodies roaming. Daryl immediately blew up. "I ain't leavin' without her! We spent months lookin' for Sophia! Did ya forget that she was da one ta find her?" After that, he disappeared from the camp. He had to keep looking. If he stopped, it would mean that she was dead. That would be the only time that he'd stop.

Eventually, the mob of walkers caught up to them and they were forced to leave. This time, Daryl tried and failed to convince them to stay. Even he knew that he would be putting everyone in danger. Before he left on his motorcycle, he tried to catch a glimpse of every rotting face. He didn't know whether he wanted to see her or not. If she was there amongst the geeks, then it would at least give him some closure. He'd be able to end her suffering. He'd be able to... He swallowed. He wouldn't be able to do anything. Just like how he hadn't been able to save her that day. He was so fucking useless!

"Daryl, you have to stop doing this to yourself." Carol was beside him, skinning a squirrel. It had been _her_ job before. _She_ was supposed to be beside him. "She wouldn't want you to be this way."

He continued to ignore her.

"What happens if she comes here and finds out that you starved yourself to death?"

"Well, she ain't comin' back, is she?" he snarled.

"Daryl..." Carol was looking at him with those round sympathetic eyes. He didn't need her pity. "You don't know that. You have to hold on to hope, just as you told me when I lost Sophia."

He stood up and stomped into the prison where they had slowly began clearing out the prison chambers. "Fuckin' geeks!" He shot three with his crossbow and stabbed another before stomping on their heads and retrieving the bolts.

Glenn and Maggie had found him yelling and smashing a walker that had been reduced to an unrecognisable pile of rotten flesh and black fluid. At first, they were too frightened to approach him, but as the hunter began to calm down, Glenn tried to reason with him. "Are... Are you okay?" The Asian man regretted those words as soon as he said them. Of course, the man wasn't alright. "I mean, I know you're not, but... She'd want you to move on, you know?"

Glenn stared nervously at Daryl's back. "She wouldn't want to see you like this."

"Stop." It was not a shout like they'd expected. Daryl sounded tired. "Ain't need ya sayin' things ya know nothin' 'bout."

"Are you sayin' that she'd want you to go crazy and endanger yourself for nothin'?" Maggie finally spoke up. She was tired of this Daryl. She was tired of seeing him sulk and put them in danger. "You've been neglectin' everyone. Didn't she sacrifice herself so that Carol and Sophia would get away safely? You ain't even takin' care of them anymore. You're always goin' off by yourself, leavin' them behind."

There was still no reply and after a short moment, he had walked away. For the next few days, however, they had noticed the change in the loner hunter. He was acting and sounding like he was before the incident at the farm. It was a slow process, but eventually, he seemed to have come to terms with the loss. He also spent more time with Carol and Sophia.

To the others, the trio looked almost like a happy, dysfunctional family surrounded by all the chaos. They could see that Carol's affection for Daryl had been renewed, especially with the way he treated Sophia. Despite the tough exterior, he was exceptionally good with children.

"Can I braid your hair?"

"No," he grunted in annoyance.

"Please?" Sophia was looking up at him with large doe-like eyes. Her doll was clutched in her hands and the dirt smudges on her cheeks just made her look like a stray puppy.

"No." And that was the end of the conversation.

It was amazing how he knew just where to draw the boundaries.

"Can you make a Sudoku game for me?" The girl was holding a pad of paper and pencil that they had found in one of the wardens' office.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Da he - heck is Sudoku?"

"Sydney used to make them for me when I'm bored - when she waits for you to return during an hunt."

He froze in the process of taking the pad. His face fell before he dropped his hand. "Dunno how." With that, he was gone.

He was gone for several days and no one knew where he went. Sophia had thought that it was her fault that he was gone - that she had somehow angered him, but her mother quickly reassured her that she hadn't done anything wrong. Nonetheless, the little girl waited by the gate that he had disappeared from. Every day, she'd sit on the grass. Sometimes, she'd be watching the walkers by herself. Sometimes, Carl would be beside her, helping the adults kill the walkers that were crowding around the fence. Sophia had tried to help him once, but when one of them grabbed her, she realised that she'd never be able to do it.

Carl had tried many times to convince her otherwise, but her mind was made. Even though she admired the other boy very much for being so brave. He had changed, too. Travelling so long before the prison had transformed him into a man. He did things that she had only seen the other adults do. She couldn't deny that she was jealous of him. She wanted to be brave, too.

She watched him stab several more walkers before standing up, taking one of the sharp metal sticks that were hanging nearby and took it into her hands. It was heavy and the length felt awkward in relation to her height.

"Here, let me help you."

She looked down at the boy who was two years younger than her and nodded. He shifted her stance a little and helped her with the grip.

"There." He smiled at her. "Come on."

She stood in front of the fence, just out of the walkers' reach.

"You have to be fast and move away before they can get you. We're kind of short, so it's a bit harder for us."

She tightened her hold around the pipe. She raised it like how Carl taught her, but just as she was going to take a step forward to stab the walker, she backed off. "I can't do it, Carl."

"You can!"

"No, I can't!" she shouted back at him. She felt grateful that he had so much faith in her, but she wasn't useful for anything, except getting lost! "I can't do anything that you can! I'm just a stupid, little girl who still needs her doll!"

In frustration, she threw her doll into the air and past the fence where the walkers crowded.

At the time, she was too frustrated to care, but after she had time to calm down, she felt the waves of regret hit her. Her doll, Liza, was the only thing that kept the nightmares away when her mother wasn't around. She had lost her home, her dad, all her friends, and everything that she had known. Even her mother had changed. Liza was the only stability that she had. Now, she was gone.

Carol had been worried for her daughter. Ever since they had left the farm, Sophia seemed to have fallen into a depression. She didn't know whether it was because Sydney, her saviour was gone or the fact that there was so much negativity around them. Carol wanted nothing more than to protect her daughter, but it was impossible. She had seen all the horror in this world. There was no use trying to pretend that nothing was wrong and that they could prance around without being eaten.

"This is why I try to keep Carl from all of this!" It had been a mistake to confide in the pregnant woman. "Rick said we've almost cleared up one of the cellblocks. Soon, we'd have somewhere to sleep. We can keep our children inside - keep them away from all of this."

Carol wanted desperately to agree, but it just wasn't realistic. Maybe she should help train Sophia for this - not only against walkers, but also against other humans. She wouldn't be able to bear losing her daughter, again. What would've happened if Sydney was not there to save her?

She sighed and peered over to the woods. Daryl had been gone for a while. She thought that he had been getting better - that he had moved on, but this disappearance act just proved how wrong she had been. Something must've reminded him of Sydney, again.

There had always been a part of her that never let her affection for Daryl go. After the incident at the farm, she had hoped that perhaps there was still a chance for her to get together with the hunter. For a moment, she really thought it would happen, but now she knew that it was all her imagination.

"Carol! Carol! We need help!" She looked towards the prison building to see T-Dog with an anxious look on his face. She immediately got to her feet and ran inside.

Hershel had had to amputate his leg after a walker bit him. The elderly man looked pale and lifeless. It didn't seem like he would survive, especially since they had yet to find an infirmary.

Maggie and Beth were both crying uncontrollably and Glenn didn't seem to know what to do. Carol wished that Daryl was here. He'd probably be able to clear more of the rooms and find a route to the medicine.

"Da fuck is goin' on?"

Daryl hadn't actually gone far. There were plenty of walkers nearby for him to vent off his anger and frustration. If it hadn't been for his keen ears picking up the sound of T-Dog's distress, he probably would've stayed out a little longer.

"Daryl, we need to find antibiotics and painkillers for Hershel." It was Lori who had spoken up.

"What happened ta him?" What the fuck went on since he was gone? It had been only what? Three days?

"One of the walkers bit him, while... while he was looking for Glenn and I," Maggie choked out. "Rick had to take off his leg before it could spread, but... but..."

"We're not sure he would make it without the medicine," Carol finished.

He growled and kicked a nearby cell door. "Fuckin' hell!"

"Please, Daryl." Carol looked at him firmly, wondering if he was going to just leave without helping them.

"Fine. Fine." He clasped his crossbow in his hand and began to make his way out, again, but before he could go anywhere, five new faces greeted him. They had prison uniforms on and one of them looked particularly hostile. "Who da fuck are ya?"

Rick had appeared then, explaining the situation of how they had run across these men who had been locked in a large room filled with food. Daryl didn't care much for the details. He didn't trust any of them and that was that.

His suspicious turned out to be true when he and Rick decided to teach the inmates how to fend for themselves. The group had taken a precautionary route and the only other alternative to killing them was to lock them in another cell block, so Rick had begrudgingly given them all sharp weapons.

In one of the rooms, Daryl was surprised to find that the largest of the group, Big Tiny, was actually the most cowardly one of the lot. He had started to run away when a walker scratched him in the back. The presumed leader, Tomas, brutally killed the infected man.

As they neared the complete extermination of the cellblock, Tomas had tried to kill Rick and waved it off as an 'accident.'

Daryl had seen the transformation in their leader, who had once been reluctant to kill any living humans.

As he watched Rick kill Tomas, he knew that thing were very different, now. Everyone was truly starting to adapt to the kill or be kill lifestyle. He wondered what Sydney would be like if she was still with them.

His train of thoughts were broken by Rick calling him for help. He quickly manoeuvred his body behind the short black man who was attacking Rick. Easily, he immobilised Andrew.

They took him to the prison yard, which was still infested with walkers and let him locked outside. The remaining two inmates could only watch Rick with wide eyes and quietly complied to everything.

Daryl sighed when the entire ordeal was finally over. He spotted Sophia sitting by herself in the cell that she and her mother shared. "Where's yer doll?"

Sophia sniffled and looked down at her feet. "I accidentally threw it away."

He bit the side of his cheek. How the hell did she _accidentally_ throw away her doll?

"Well, where did ya throw it?"

Sophia got to her feet and began to lead him outside where she pointed to the fence where the walkers were crowding around.

He suppressed a curse and wondered how she managed to lose it beyond the fence. "Ya haven't been outside, have ya?"

She shook her head. "I... I was angry and I threw Liza..."

Even he wasn't foolish enough to go searching around when so many of the geeks were around. He'd need to clear most of them away, first. Did he really want to do it, now?

He glanced down at Sophia who was staring up at him with those large, sad eyes.

Ah, fuck...

"Gimme a minute." He was going to need a smoke. "Don't move."

After making sure that Sophia wasn't going to do anything stupid, like go out herself to get it, he re-entered the building and retrieved his spare pack. He'd have to go on another run for these, soon.

Sophia watched with wide eyes as he began to easily dispatch the walkers. He made it look so easy, but... she'd never be able to do it. She'd never be strong enough. She'd never be brave enough. She fell to her back and stared at the sky.

"'Ey." Daryl peered at her. "Wanna try?"

She sat up and shook her head fervently. "I can't!"

"Really?"

She nodded. "I've tried already and every time... I just can't do it."

...

Carol had found Sophia missing from her cell and before panic set in, she found her outside with Daryl. It was quite a sight to see. Her little girl seemed to be having fun _killing_ the walkers and she was doing surprisingly well.

She stayed behind, watching them. If only Ed could've spent time with her like this. True that it wasn't ideal for Sophia to be killing anything, but she was having _fun_. It seemed like a lifetime ago since she had seen her daughter so happy.

When the walkers were all taken down, she saw Daryl slip out and began to search around for something. Was he looking for Sophia's doll? Carol had noticed that Liza had been absent, recently, but she had accounted it for the fact that her daughter was growing up.

"Sophia! Dinner!" she finally called out to the duo who look at her. Sophia glanced at Daryl and beckoned him to come in with her, but Daryl waved her off. "Sophia!"

With one last look, the little girl ran to her mother and the two of them disappeared into the prison building.

Daryl ran a hand through his hand. Where was that doll? Had those geeks kicked it off somewhere? Did they get hungry and start eating the stupid thing?

He looked up and realised that the sun was nearly completely set. Without the light, there was no way he'd be able to find the small raggedy thing. Fuck...

If he waited until tomorrow, he'd have to go around killing those fucking geeks, again. What a waste of time.

He called it a day after the dark had completely settled in. He didn't want to break the bad news to the girl, but there was nothing he could do about it, now.

...

The next morning, Carol strolled out into the yard. She had seen Daryl in his cell. He seemed to have fallen back into the brooding self and she was tired of it. Didn't he know that he still had people who cared about him?

Carol walked along the fence, wondering if she could catch a glimpse of Liza, while she continued to ponder. When she didn't see it, she contemplated going out to search, but just as she was going to start killing the walkers, someone yelling caught her attention.

She turned around and saw two forms, one male and one female, cornered against the fence by at least a dozen walkers. Neither of them seemed to have a gun. She retrieved one of the firearm from the bin near the fence and ran as quickly as she could towards them.

When she shot and killed one of the walkers, the two people turned their heads to look at who was behind them.

Surprise filled the female's face, the same expression that she was sure was plastered on her own face.

"Sydney?!"

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE_

Aww… You guys know I can't just kill her off so early! Did anyone really think that I'd kill her off?

Thank you **Lilygirl95** and **galwidanatitud** for reviewing!

Thank you as well to everyone who has favourited and followed this story!

I'd really appreciate it if you guys leave a review!


	13. The Phantasy

**THIRTEEN: THE PHANTASY**

"Where's Daryl? Is he alright?"

The relief of seeing Carol had hit me instantly. When I saw the prison gates, I thought that that was it. There were dead bodies everywhere and the fence seemed impenetrable. We were going to turn around to leave, but the walkers were already on us. With only my dagger, I knew that I had no chance against them, especially being caught with my back already against the fence.

"Who is he? Can we trust him?" After encountering many hostile camps of my own, I understood Carol's unwillingness to let a stranger into what seemed to be the safest place I had ever seen since the breakout - much more so than the farm.

I turned to my male companion, who looked rather nervously at the grey-haired woman. "This is Dave. He was the one who helped me save Sophia and he also saved me when the farm was overtaken by the walkers."

From the immediately change in Carol's expression, I knew without a doubt that she would let him in.

"I don't mean no harm," Dave added, putting his hands up to show that he was barely armed.

"Stay here," Carol demanded before turning to me. "Can you go get Shane? He's probably the best at interrogations."

I bit my lips. "Are you sure we need to do that? Shane isn't always stable and... I don't want him to hurt Dave. This man has saved my life, Carol! He's saved _Sophia's_!"

"I'm grateful," she replied. "But with the people we've seen and knowing which group he came from, I'd like to be safe than sorry. I'll make sure Shane doesn't go overboard, alright?"

With one last look at Carol and a comforting pat on Dave's shoulder, I jogged into the prison. The rooms were unfamiliar to me and I thought I was going to be trapped in the maze, but eventually, I bumped into Rick who looked at me as if he was seeing a ghost.

"Hey." I gave him a small wave and a smile, wondering how he was going to react. Would he think I was the enemy now that we had been separated for so long? Carol had acted far more cautious than she ever was when I first met her, so I couldn't be sure how _any_ of the group would react to my reappearance.

Rick opened his mouth before closing it, again. He ran a hand through his hair. "Sydney, h-how are you... How are you here? We thought you were dead!"

"Yeah, well... I was saved by an old friend," I replied, a grin on my face. "Would you like to meet him? He's the one who helped me save Sophia. Carol has him in the yard by the fence and refused to let him in. I understand that you have to be more careful, now, so I was just going to get Shane. Do you know where he is?"

Rick pursed his lips. "I'll go talk to Dave. You don't want Shane having a go at him."

"I know," I agreed, knowing that any little thing met set off that man. "Do you mind?"

He shook his head. "I can go, now."

Before he could walk off, I stopped him. "D-Do you think I could go see Daryl? Do you know where he is?"

Rick gave me a slow nod. "He's in his cell, now. That way." He pointed to the door at my right and I gave him a grateful smile. He, then, gave me a short set of directions and told me that Carl was guarding the doors to the cells where they were sleeping.

Without any hesitation, I set off running. It had been far too long since I last saw him and not a day went by that I didn't picture his broody, sulky face in my head. Bloody hell, Dave had called me a lovesick fool and I wasn't even able to deny it because it was true. I loved the hunter more than words could say and I could only hope that he would return his feelings for me.

I knew that the two of us had some kind of connection, but I wasn't sure if the time apart had strengthened the bond or weakened it to the point where he had completely moved on. Carol had been with the group the entire time. What if he had finally gotten together with her? Perhaps that was why she hadn't told me where Daryl was when I first asked her.

As the large iron gate that led to the cells came into sight, I held my index finger against my lips to keep Carl quiet. At first, he held the gun pointed at me, but upon a moment to let the news sink in that I was alive, he grinned widely and opened the gate.

"Which one is Daryl's?" I whispered to the boy who pointed me to the cell furthest from the gate. "Thanks." Carl looked so cute with the sheriff hat on and he seemed to have really grown. It was a shame that I had to miss it.

As I tiptoed passed the other cells, I noticed that many of them were occupied. I saw Hershel lying on the bed, pale and motionless, with Maggie, Beth, and Lori inside with him. I wondered for a moment if he was dead, but quickly sneaked away before anyone could see me. I wanted my reunion with Daryl to be private and I just knew that the others would make a fuss before I could speak to him.

I arrived at the very last cell and peeked in. He was sitting on the prison cot, facing the side of the prison wall. I opened the door and sat beside him. He didn't react the way I thought he would, but he also didn't seem to know it was me.

"Go 'way. Don't need ya fuckin' naggin'." I wondered if he was referring to Carol or Lori.

I didn't say anything to him. Instead, I placed a hand on his cheek and gently tilted it towards me.

"I said, I - " He froze and stared into my eyes. "I..."

I waited a little longer for him to say something, but when he remained silently staring at me with wide eyes, I smiled and said, "Hey, Daryl." I stroked his face with my thumb, relishing in how warm and soft the skin felt. It was also rather grimy, probably from sweat and dirt. Weren't there showers in the prison?

He swallowed hard and turned away from me. "Ya ain't real."

"Daryl, I'm here," I whispered. "I'm alive."

"Naw, ya ain't" he shouted. "Ya see, I've caught on ta ya! Always in ma head. I see ya everywhere! Yer just another thing I thought up. What ya gonna do next - take off ya clothes for me? Gimme a lap dance and kiss me with yer fuckin' li - "

He was cut off as I placed my lips over his. I looked into his beautiful blue eyes for only a second before closing mine. I licked his bottom lip. He tasted just as I remembered.

Instinctively, he wound his arms around my waist and pulled me closer, bringing me to his lap until I was straddling him. I pressed harder against him as he bit my lips and thrust his tongue into my mouth. I moaned and ground my pelvis against his, already feeling his erection growing.

"Aw, fuck..." he groaned and ran his hand through my hair once before pushing me away. "Fuck. Ya feel so real. I'm goin' fuckin' insane. Da deputy gonna put a bullet through ma head if he sees me like this."

"Daryl, I'm real!" I pushed him down on to his bed and straddled his hip. "I'm bloody real!" My lips crashed on to his in a violent kiss, but I quickly broke away. "I'm here and I love you - so, so much! I love you, Daryl. I couldn't stop thinking about you, while we've been apart. I couldn't stop imagining that you're still with me. And now, I'm here. We're together, again." I rested my forehead on to his and stared him in the eye. When he tried to turn away, I grabbed his chin and forced it back to face me. With my other hand, I manoeuvred his hands on to my hips. "Everything here is real. Everything, Daryl."

"Prove it," he mumbled, running his hand up and down the side of my body, making it difficult to think.

I thought hard. What could I say that would make him believe that I was really here? "You probably first saw me after I was shot by Andrea. You didn't like that I had to share a tent with you, while I was injured."

He snorted. "More like I couldn't stop starin' at ya. Fuckin' hot foreigner in ma tent, where I fuckin' sleep. Practically invitin' me to fuck ya silly."

I couldn't hold down the blush that surged up my neck. I didn't know that he had thought that about me when we first met. I thought he was pissed off that he had to sleep outside.

"Nice try, but ain't workin'," he grumbled. "Ma mind gonna tell me what I wanna hear."

"Really?" I whispered, a smirk making its way to my lips. "I made out with Dave. I was tipsy and ended up with my shirt off. His were off, too. We went pretty far and he was going to drive me to his camp to fu - " I was suddenly flipped over.

His lips were back on to mine and I grabbed his hair, pushing his head closer. When we broke apart, again, I looked him in the eyes and wondered if he still thought I was only a hallucination.

"I'ma kill da fuckin' bastard when I see him," he growled. "Ain't no one tough ma woman but me. Ain't no one gonna kiss ya but me. Ain't no one gonna fuck ya but me. Got it?"

I tilted my head and smiled at him teasingly. "But I'm only something made up in your mind, right? Shouldn't worry that I'd go away."

He narrowed his eyes at me, perhaps wondering one last time if I was real or not. "Fuck it!" He buried his head against my neck and bit the sensitive skin there. I jerked and let out a squeak. "If this is a dream, I'ma fuckin' make da most of it."

He slipped his hand into my shirt and quickly moved up to cup my bare breast. The way his calloused hand raked across my skin sent shivers throughout my entire body. "Daryl!" I bucked and ground against him. I wanted to continue to convince him that I was real, but the sensation of just being so close to him again made it difficult to see that anything else was important. "Daryl, I love you! I love you!" I whispered against his lips as he continued to move against me.

He slipped downward until it reached the hem of my trousers. "Always so fuckin' soft."

"Daryl? Daryl, are you okay?"

I felt him freeze. I looked beyond him and saw Lori with a very, very pregnant stomach staring at us with wide eyes.

"Sydney?!"

"Hey, Lori," I breathed. My face felt like it was on fire. This was not how I imagined the reunion to be. Well, part of it turned out perfect, but getting caught and being accused of being an illusion definitely wasn't included in it.

"Fuck. Fuck..." Daryl straightened his back and stood up. "Fuck! Ya see her?" he asked Lori.

The brunette woman nodded her head, wondering if there was something wrong with the hunter.

"Fuck..." He began to walk away, but I quickly got up and clung on to him from behind.

"Don't go," I whispered. "Please, I just found you, again. Don't go. I love you, Daryl. Don't walk away from me. Please. _Please_."

We stayed there in that position for what seemed like hours. It was just me and him. I never wanted to be without him, again.

Abruptly, I was suddenly against the wall with Daryl's body pressed against mine. "Girl... How are ya alive? I looked everywhere for ya. Went back ta da farm after da geeks left. There was nothin' left. Thought ya became one of those fuckers."

I shook my head. "No, Dave saved me, Daryl. He had this huge semi and cleared out the walkers in front of me. I left with him and tried to find you, but... along the way... we go into some trouble. There were these men firing at us and one of the bullets hit the gas tank. The back of the truck went up in flames and we had to run. We ran and ran and then, we hid. We managed to lose them, but we also lost a lot of time. I went to the highway that all of you always mentioned, but none of you were there. I tried to search for you everywhere, but each day was difficult. We couldn't take another car, all of them were out of fuel. Walking was slow. We had to rest often, but we could never stay in one place for too long. It... It wasn't until now that we found this place. I thought it was empty until Carol appeared. We were surrounded by the walkers and she helped us kill them. And..." I leaned my head against his chest. "And here I am... With you."

"I shoulda been there with ya," he muttered, angrily. "I shoulda taken ya with me."

I shook my head. "No, it was not only your choice. It was mine." I tilted my head upward and kissed his scruffy chin. "And everything turned out fine. Isn't that all that matters?"

"Daryl, where's Syd - "

We quickly broke apart and looked at Rick who was standing with Dave and Carol. Rick and Dave were both smiling, but Carol was looking at her feet.

Even though Daryl gave no indications that he had been unfaithful - if what we had was considered a proper relationship - Carol looked heartbroken. I felt kind of bad for her. She had known Daryl longer and probably felt something for him longer, but... I couldn't ignore what I was feeling, either.

I loved Daryl and nothing was going to change that.

"So, sheriff, is Dave clear?" I smiled at the man, already knowing the answer.

Rick smiled back at me. "Yeah. As long as he's willing to pull his weight." The smile disappeared and a serious expression replaced it. "I'd love to give you more time with Daryl, but I plan to have more rooms cleared up."

I nodded in understanding. I knew my face was still flushed.

From beside me, Daryl was grumbling unhappily. "Ain't givin' a man 'nough time with his woman."

"I'm your woman, mm?" I mumbled back to him. My hand slipped discretely underneath the back of his shirt and I trailed a finger down his lower back. His entire body went rigid and from the corner of my eyes, I saw him glare at me.

Rick cleared his throat. "Sydney, I want you with Hershel. He had to have his leg chopped off after a walker bit him. Try to help him however you can. We're going to try to find the infirmary, today."

I nodded. Even thought I had a medical background, without proper equipments, there was little I could do. "Stay safe."

He nodded. "Dave, you're coming with us. We're going to see what you can do."

Dave shrugged. "Yeah. Gimme a weapon and I'll show you."

I turned to Daryl. "You better come back in one piece," I whispered. "I just got you back. I wouldn't be able to live without you, again."

"Girl, ya ain't ever gonna have ta be without me," he promised. "'Nd... Ya know it's 'ard for me ta say this..."

I waited with bated breath.

"But I need ya ta know." The suspense was killing me. Sure, I was anticipating that he'd tell me what I wanted to here, but what if he wasn't? What if this was a different confession? What if - "-ve ya."

I blinked. "What?"

"Are ya really tellin' me ta say it, again?" he growled. "I fuckin' love ya, Sydney. Couldn't stop thinkin' 'bout ya. I fuckin' see ya everywhere - makin' me go crazy."

I pressed my lips against his and he eagerly returned it. "I love you, too, Daryl."

I watched as he left with Rick and Dave with a small smile on my lips. I knew he'd be just fine.

"So the two of you are serious, aren't you?" I turned to see Carol looked sadly back at me.

I nodded my head. "I'm sorry, Carl. I know how you feel about him, but..."

"I understand," she sighed. "I guess I always knew that even though you weren't around, he wouldn't... he wouldn't love me. It's just that... the way he is around Sophia... I wished that I could've given her a father like that."

"Carol," I started. "Me being around doesn't mean that he won't spend time with Sophia. It just means that all of us would be with her. We could all teach her so much and she wouldn't ever have to be lonely."

Tears welled up in her eyes and I drew her into an embrace. "It's okay, Carol. I'd never take him away. We'd always be here for her - for you."

"Thank you, Sydney," she sobbed into my shoulder. "I'm sorry I haven't always been nice. All of this... it's just too much, sometimes."

I rubbed her back. "I know. I know..."

After Carol calmed down, I made my way over to Hershel who was looking far too pale. I peeled away the gauze and grimaced at the wound. It was obvious that when the leg was amputated, they were in a hurry. The jaggedness of the skin, flesh, and bone was terrible, but what surprised me was the fact that it was not infected.

Fortunately, I could already see the edges scabbing over.

"He should be alright as long as we keep it clean," I told them. "He seems to have lost a lot of blood and his body has fallen into a resting state to increase the rate of healing. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, but we don't have the proper equipment here. Have you tried to give him some water?"

Maggie nodded. "Just a little bit."

"Good. Keep it up. Little sips as often as possible."

We sat there in silence and I could see Beth glance curiously at me every few seconds. Finally, I turned to her, catching her eye. She immediately averted her eyes.

"Are you alright, Beth?" I asked the young, blonde girl.

"How was it?" she whispered after scooting over to me.

I tilted my head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Jimmy and I never did it, so I was wondering what it's like..."

It took me a moment to understand what she was talking about and the blush returned. "We haven't done it, yet."

Her mouth formed into an 'O'-shape. "Well, how is it with the others?"

My blush darkened. "I-I've never actually..."

This time, her eyes widened. "You're a virgin?!" she squealed, catching the attention of the other two women who looked at me.

I fiddled with the hem of my shirt before mumbling, "Never had time..."

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE_

Mystery solved! It was Dave who saved her! Anyone happy to see him reappear? I'm very glad that I didn't kill him off in the storyline.

I'm also very happy to write about Sydney and Daryl together again! Who else missed that last chapter?

Thank you **galwidanatitud** , **LeAnna388** , **clduncan** , and guest ( **Faelyght** ) for reviewing!

 **clduncan** : I'm happy to see Shane alive too! I feel like he could be a real powerhouse in the team!

Thank you as well to everyone who has favourited and followed this story!

I love to hear from all of you. Just a short message could most definitely make my day!


	14. Something More

**FOURTEEN: SOMETHING MORE**

Hershel had finally woken up.

It had been a fright when he stopped breathing. I immediately went for my dagger. Maggie and Beth were both crying loudly and calling out to him, but he remained motionless.

It was actually Lori who sprung into action and tried to resuscitate him with CPR. After a minute of bated breath from the rest of us, Hershel gasped and began to breathe on his own. Not long after, he opened his eyes.

I smiled at the groggy man who was being hugged by his daughters. "Brilliant, Lori," I praised the brunette mother who smiled back at me. She had really earned my respect, today. "I'll be just outside."

As I stepped out of the cell, I saw Carl glance at me curiously. He must've heard the loud cries and wondered whether Hershel was dead or not. "Carl, Hershel's awake," I informed the boy who was stationed by the gate. "I'll take over for you if you want to go see him."

He passed me the keys as I watched him calmly walk towards the cell, I couldn't help but notice how much he had changed since I last saw him at the farm. He had grown up more than I would've imagined - physically, but mainly mentally. He no longer behaved like a child. It was as if years had passed opposed to months. I almost missed how he used to whine about his homework.

His mother had also changed. She wasn't as overbearing, allowing him to adapt and change to the situation.

"'Ey, Red! Open da door!"

I glared at Daryl who was standing just outside the gate with an amused Dave beside him. The other brunet man was more than aware of how much I hated the nickname.

I walked over to the iron bars and leaned against them. "Excuse me. What did you say?"

The hunter smirked. "I said... _Red_ , how 'bout ya open da door."

I crinkled my nose. "No."

The two men shared a snigger at my reaction.

I definitely didn't like how the two of them seemed to gang up against me. After Daryl realised that Dave had completely accepted the fact that I was already taken, the hunter didn't mind the other man's presence. There also seemed to be a certain kind of respect after I told him that he had saved me. The only thing Daryl avoided ever discussing was Dave and my hazy make-out session.

"I guess I should leave you guys out there," I sneered and turned away. "Better start looking for other cells to sleep in. Not sure if there are any that are really liveable out there."

Dave snorted. "I think you just got kicked out of the bedroom, man," he chuckled at the hunter.

Daryl shifted his body, which caused the crossbow that was slung behind him to swing and hit the chortling man.

"Fuck!" Dave cursed, rubbing his sore back.

"C'mon, Syd. Ya know I was just playin'."

I kept my back turned, wondering how far the great hunter would stoop. It was rather amusing seeing him like this. I wished that I knew him before all this happened. What was he like? I heard his brother was an absolute twat, but no one really spoke ill about Daryl. He was a bit of a loner, which I understood. This entire situation had changed a lot of us. Some tended to stay away from others, fearing to make friends or being stabbed in the back. Others immediately try to find other survivors and cling to them as if they were a lifeline. Daryl seemed to have found a nice middle ground and perhaps I was slowly doing the same.

"Syd..."

Suddenly, two arms grabbed me from behind and pulled me against the bars. I squirmed around, trying to get away. The bars were pressing uncomfortably against my back. "Daryl! Bloody hell... Let go of me."

"If ya ain't gonna let me in, then I guess yer stuck with me 'ere."

I hugged in annoyance and gave one last struggle before conceding defeat. Stupid hunter... Why did he have to be so strong? Were his arms made of steel?!

I turned around and unlocked the gate. "No more calling me Red, got it?" I warned the man who was smirking back at me, while I glared at him as he walked in. "You don't hear me calling you Brown. What kind of name is Red, anyway?" As I ranted, I remembered what happened before they arrived. "Hershel's awake. The last I saw him, he was alright, but his daughters might've suffocated him back into a coma."

The three of us stood outside the cell where the two young women were still holding on to their father. The animal doctor was looking better - more aware of his surroundings, but he had a long way to go to full recovery.

Lori must've gone back into her cell with Carl to give the Greene family their privacy because neither were present. We backed away to do the same. Most of the group seemed quite well acquainted with this nice family, but my absence had wedged the awkwardness back into place. It almost felt as if I didn't belong - not only in the presence of Hershel, Maggie, and Beth, but also with most of the others. Perhaps it was just the fact that I never truly made the effort to really know them. I was completely enamoured by Daryl and he was already a loner.

I twirled the keys around my fingers, thoughtfully. I wanted to make those connections, but I also wanted to spend more time with Daryl, first.

I strolled over to Lori's cell and waved at the boy who was sitting with his mother. "Hey, Carl. Daryl and I are going to go out for a bit. Mind being our security guard, again?"

The boy eagerly jumped to his feet, while his mother looked to be trying to suppress her annoyance. It seemed that Lori was not as inclined for her son to take part in this as I thought. I wondered if she was less overbearing because she was pregnant and didn't have the energy to follow him around and lecture him.

"Thanks, kid."

He glared at me when I tilted his sheriff's hat downward, hindering his vision.

...

"I feel like so much has changed..." I started as we walked around the grassy yard. "Carl and Sophia are so grown up, now... She doesn't really talk to me anymore, though. What happened?"

Daryl shrugged. "Been down. Ain't da same after da farm."

I nodded absentmindedly. "Everyone seems to be that way." I stopped and leaned my forehead against the fence. "It's ironic, isn't it? The prison is so peaceful and safe." I sighed.

I felt him behind me, not quite touching, but he was there. "I looked for ya. Spent a month at da highway 'til 'nother group of geeks came 'nd da others wanted ta leave. Didn't want ta give up on ya, but..." He let out a shuddered breath. "Thought ya were dead 'nd I kept seein' ya."

I leaned back into him.

"Was goin' crazy without ya."

"I was going crazy without you, too," I mumbled. "I swear, I was driving Dave crazy, as well. I couldn't stop talking about you. I dreamt about you and I kept wondering if you made it out alive." I turned around and looked up at him. "I missed you so much, Daryl." I felt tears prickle my eyes as I remembered the days after the farm. "It was so hard... being without you. I thought... I thought it was just going to be like before I met you guys. I was okay with it, then, and since I had Dave with me, this time... But it wasn't like that at all. I thought I left a part of me with you. Life just wasn't worth living."

He laid his forehead on mine. "Ain't gonna happen, 'gain. Yer gonna stay right 'ere with me."

I smiled and kissed him. "I'm never going to leave you."

"Girl, ya ain't gonna leave me even if ya wanted ta," he growled as he pushed me against the fence, his hands slipped under my shirt.

I arched against him, feeling his erection growing as I ground against his crotch.

He groaned before biting a sensitive spot on my neck, just below my ear.

"Daryl..." I whimpered. There was so much heat rushing to my core. I had never felt anything like this before. It was as if he was fire and I was burning with him.

I raised my arms as the shirt came off and he easily lifted the bra to expose my breasts. His lips trailed down kisses and licks down the valley of my chest before attaching itself to my right nipple. As he suckled, I moaned loudly before tangling my fingers into his hair.

I pulled his head up and brought him into a kiss. "Take me," I breathed against his lips.

"Fuck, girl..." he growled, turning me around so that he was pressing against my backside, instead. "Ya don't know what yer askin' for."

" _Please..._ " I ground against his crotch. "Daryl, _please."_

He was breathing harshly against my ears. "Stop beggin'. I ain't no saint. Can't stop if I begin."

"Don't want you to stop. Just want you, _now_." I grabbed the bulge that was poking at my lower back.

"Fuck..." he cursed, his hands quickly unbuckling my belt in a hurry.

As his middle finger stroked against the front of my panties, I was ready to scream. I had never felt anything like this before. I was softly panting his name over and over again.

From behind me, I could hear him starting to undo his own belt. Suddenly, he stopped and swore loudly.

"Daryl...?"

He groaned and rested heavily against me.

"Daryl, what's wrong?" He was starting to scare me. Had I done something wrong? Was there something wrong with me? Maybe he was having second thoughts. Maybe the person he really wanted to be with was Carol. Bloody fuck... Did I just make a fool of myself behaving like a common harlot?

As he pulled away, I felt as if I was being peeled away with him. I limply leaned on the fence and couldn't stop the sob that left my lips. I was so embarrassed. I begged him like a whore and he didn't even want me. How was I ever going to face him, again?

...

No fucking condom. He was hard as fuck and they had no fucking condom! How the hell was he going to walk anywhere, now?

He gritted his teeth and pulled himself away from her - now - before he couldn't. He wanted to kick and shout and maybe jerk the fuck off. He wanted to strip the rest of her clothes off and fuck her senseless.

Suddenly, a small squeaking noise broke him out of his thoughts. He looked Sydney. Her shoulders were trembling and for a moment, he wondered if she was laughing at his expense. But as a second sound emitted from her, he realised that something was wrong.

He turned her around, trying to catch a glimpse of her expression, but her hair blocked her downcast face from view. "Whattaya find so fu - " He stopped when she wrenched away from him and quickly walked away. That was when he realised that something was wrong.

He hastily followed her and grabbed her arm. "Da fuck, girl? Why ya runnin' 'way?"

When she finally turned to look at him, he was stunned to see the wet trails down the sides of her cheeks. Her lips were trembling and her chest was quickly rising up and down. Just as soon as her eyes met his, she tried to turn away, again, but he was smarter this time. He held her face with his calloused hands and forced her to look at him. "Da fuck is wrong with ya?"

She opened her mouth, but only a squeak came out. After that, she fell silent and looked at everywhere, except his eyes.

"Why ya run?"

She tried to shake her head, but his hands made it impossible, so she tried to struggle away, again.

"Damn it, girl! Talk ta me! Da fuck did I do wrong?" He was getting frustrated, a different form of frustration that he hated even more.

"I..." she started, but fell silent after the first syllable.

"Talk ta me!" he growled, his face inches from hers. What the hell was wrong with her?

"I'msorryIforcedmyselfonyou," she blurted out before clamming up, again. Her eyes were staring so widely at him that he wondered if they were going to pop out.

He realised, however, that as he stared at her and knowing perfectly well that she had said something, but he had no idea what she actually said. "What did ya say?"

For a second, she looked annoyed, but she refused to say anything else.

"God damn it, girl. Da fuck ya want from me?"

"I - I don't know..." she mumbled. "I mean... I mean..." Her voice cracked and fresh tears began to spill from her eyes. "I thought you loved me." She finally finished. It was so quiet that he thought he had missed it or perhaps he misheard what she said.

"Stop mumbling. Hard 'nough tryin' ta understand ya with dat damn accent," he grumbled. "Thought ya said dat ya think I don't love ya."

When she didn't reply, he squinted his eyes at her. "Ya think I don't love ya." Was she serious? He was going insane because he thought she was dead. Hadn't he been showing her how he felt? What more did she want from him? "Ya fuckin' crazy."

She cringed before gathering up her wits and shouted at him. "Then why did you just stop like that?! Is it Carol? Do you like her more? Is that why you sto - "

He growled in annoyance at how much she was talking and quickly quieted her.

She gasped and he thrust his tongue into her mouth. He didn't care if he was being too aggressive. He just needed to get it through that foreign head of hers that she was going to have to be stuck with him. Stupid, fuckin' idiot needed to be taught a fuckin' lesson.

...

His hands felt so rough against my skin, but his lips were soft and wet. I panted against them and gently pushed away. "Daryl...? I'm so confused."

"Dunno what yer confused 'bout," he grunted. "Ain't gonna kiss no one - fuck no one - but ya, got it?" He shifted his grip on me so that his hands were now on my hips. "Ya know why I stopped? Didn't want ta knock ya up. Can't 'fford ta risk ya dyin'."

I stared at him and couldn't stop the tears bursting back out. He seemed alarmed and helpless as he watched me with narrowed eyes. "'M sorry," I whimpered. "I don't know what's wrong with me. When you... When you just stopped... I thought there was something wrong with me." I sniffed and buried my face into his shirt before apologising, again. "Daryl, I... I don't think I'm ready."

He frowned.

"Not with the relationship, I mean, but... I've never..." I felt a familiar heat surge up to my face. "I've never done it before," I finally whispered.

There was a moment of silence then, his shoulders began to shake. I could only stare at him in confusion before I heard it. He was laughing at me! My face grew a darker shade of red - a mixture of embarrassment and anger. How dare he?!

With a huff, I broke away and turned from him.

"Where ya goin'?" He wasn't laughing anymore, but I found I hated that smirk just as much.

"Away from you!" I shouted, but something familiar from the corner of my eyes caught my attention.

"Didn't I 'ready told ya - " He frowned when he realised that I was no longer looking at him.

"Isn't that Sophia's doll?" I could recognise that dirty pink dress anywhere, especially after Daryl had risked his life for it.

"Kid said she lost it," he grunted and we began to walk towards the gate. "Told me it was on da other side." He continued to grumble as he dispatched several walkers that were milling around the fence.

I picked up the soft object. It had gotten much dirtier since the last time I had seen it. "Is this why she had been behaving so strangely?" It was wishful thinking that this small doll would be the cause of the little girl's depression when the world that they knew had gone to hell.

"No. 'S what made her throw da thing," he replied, looking at the doll.

I stroked the thick stringed hair. "But she wants it back." This world was making everyone go insane and I had hoped that it wouldn't affect the children as much, I knew that it was inevitable. They weren't just learning a new skill set. Their entire life had been turned upside down.

We re-entered the prison walls. I looked at the doll in one hand. With the other hand, my fingers began to twitch towards another, bigger hand that was only a breadth's length away. Just as it brushed against the skin, I nearly gasped in surprise when those warm, calloused hands grabbed my own. Neither of us said anything, but I knew there was a large grin on my face.

I felt like such a school girl. It was the end of the world and I was holding hands with my... with my boyfriend? I sneaked a glance at his passive expression. It was odd thinking of him as my boyfriend. Firstly, he didn't seem the type to really get attached and have girlfriends. Secondly, what we had seemed to be so much more than just boyfriend and girlfriend.

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Sorry for how long it's taken me to upload this‼ I've had it written a week ago, but my motivation to type it was so low ;_; I'm already working on the next chapter, though!

Thank you **galwidanatitud** for reviewing! I'm so happy for them to be together again!

Thank you as well to everyone who has favourited and followed this story!

Please drop a review if you like this story. I love hearing from all of you!


	15. Alarms

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN: ALARMS  
**

After giving Sophia her doll back, she was looking a little better. The quiet girl was washing it of the filth that had accumulated during its absence. I left her to it and headed back outside. Despite the walkers prowling beyond the fence, it was rather peaceful here.

This prison could really work. A fortress like this should have no problem keeping the walkers out. I was looking forward to the day that an established homestead was made. Just the thought of normalcy was enough to get me hyped up. I formulated a mental list of everything that we would need – things that I had frequently seen in scavenges, but never gave it a second thought until now. We could really use those packets of seeds that were constantly glanced over.

A grunt nearby caught my attention. At first, I thought a walker had gotten in, but it was Carol kneeling beside a dead body. I watched as she plunged her knife into the stomach and sliced it from side to side.

Curious, I walked up to her. "What are you doing?"

She froze momentarily before resuming her butchery. "Lori's going to give birth soon. She had complications with Carl and needed a C –section. We need to be prepared for the worst."

That made sense, except… "You're doing it wrong."

She swirled her head over to glare at me. "And you would know?"

I sighed and crouched down beside her. "I _was_ studying to be a medical doctor. I never actually helped in the maternal wards, but I've studied the methods." I took my dagger out. "Move over a little. I'll show you where to start and stop the incision." She complied and I moved the dagger in a smooth line. She mimicked the motion. "The main thing you have to remember is that flesh really isn't that easy to cut, especially compared to these guys." I gestured to the decaying corpse. "It's also not like the movies. It'll most likely take several smooth cuts to properly get to the baby. If we can, we should try to look for the proper tools in the infirmary. Unless this is an all men's prison…" That would be unfortunate.

"It is," Carol confirmed my fears. Even under ideal conditions, there could be many complications with birth giving. Lori was a particularly petite woman with prior history. The best thing was to hope that she'd be able to give birth naturally.

"If I can, I'll be there when it happens," I told her. "I think the best plan would be for either one of us to stay with her at all times. With all the stress, we can't tell when the contractions will start." I gave her a pat on the shoulder and offered to take first shift. Hopefully, Herschel would be well enough to help. Lori and I really didn't get along well.

When I entered the cell block, I saw her still trying to teach Carl maths. The poor boy looked annoyed, but continued to listen to his mother's lecture. He looked absolutely relieved when I arrived.

I leaned against the doorway and told her of the plan. She wasn't happy about it and insisted that being by Hershel's side was enough. The injured man may be lucid, but he was far from well enough to perform a C-section if necessary. He was still bed ridden and needed frequent caring himself.

Instead of hovering, however, I opted to move my bed, so that I could comfortably watch with a book in hand.

Hours passed before anything happened. At first, everyone was just confused about the loud alarm that permeated through the entire prison. Soon, however, there was a loud cry of, " _WALKERS!_ "

I immediately jumped to my feet and threw as much as I could into my bag – weapons, food, medical supplies. With the bag over my shoulders, I rushed over to Lori. Carl was already helping her to her feet. "Stay here. We'll try to barricade the doors. The walkers shouldn't be able to get in," I told her as I looked at Hershel who had slowly gotten to his feet. The old man nodded his thanks when I began to push my bed in front of his door. Beth was sitting beside him, looking just as grateful. Lori, however, just wouldn't stay put.

Like on the farm, she was adamant to look for Rick. I shot Carl an exasperated look, but there was really not much we could do once she was outside her cell. Luckily, Maggie was also nearby. We slowly made our way through the tunnels, turning to every sound. At any corner, a walker could jump out and bite us. Why did I ever think that this was a good idea?

Oh, wait. I didn't.

I should've had Carol take the first shift with this mule of a woman. Didn't she know that she now had two lives to take care of?

Suddenly, as we turned, a walker lunged at us. Quickly, I plunged my dagger into its skull. From behind, I could hear a herd approaching. "Come on! Quickly!" I allowed Maggie to go first. Carl was helping Lori waddle along. I decided to bring up the rear.

We were moving too slowly. The groans were growing louder and louder.

I should've tried harder to keep Lori in her cell. If anything happened to them, Rick was going to kill me himself. Or he'd feed me to the walks and _then_ kill me a second time.

"This way!" Maggie led us towards a door. I wasn't familiar with this area. Hopefully, it'll be walker-free.

Once I slipped in, I slammed the rusty metal door shut and pushed a nearby crate against it for good measure. I t was a miracle that none of us were injured.

"The baby!" Lori suddenly gasped in pain, clutching her stomach. 'The baby is coming!"

I paled. No, not right now. This was not good. This was definitely the last thing that we needed right now. "Are you sure?" I asked, knowing that I should never question a mother's instinct, but the timing couldn't be worse. "Can it wait just a little longer?"

"Yes, I'm sure!" she snapped back. "And _no_ it can't wait!"

Maggie and Carl looked helplessly at me as they helped her lay down on to the cold concrete.

I paced a couple of times before kneeling by her side. "Okay. We're going to try this the traditional way, alright?" It was the only way I could save Lori. If I cut her open here, there was almost no chance of survival for her. Both Rick and Shane were going to kill me! "Deep breaths, Lori. Deep breaths."

She huffed in and out. Sweat dripped down the side of her face as she let out a pained cry.

I gently lifted her skirted dress up. "You're not dilated enough. Don't push."

"Lori, come on. You can do this." Maggie helped the pregnant woman back to her feet. "Maybe a little walk will help. I've seen ma do the same when she had Beth."

Lori reluctantly complied for a short moment. She paced the small room for only a minute before leaning heavily against the door, hearing the walkers that were still congregated just inches away beyond the steel. "I can't." She pushed away from the door and gripped tightly on to my shirt. "Please, Sydney, you have to cut her out of me. This is exactly what happened when I had Carl. The umbilical cord became tangled around his neck. I can't have this one die inside me. I'm scared… I'm scared of it ripping me apart from inside."

I laid her on the ground as she rambled on. "At least this way, the baby can live on. Tell Rick I'm sorry. Tell him to treat the baby well. It's his no matter what anyone says." She let out another cry of pain as the contraction intervals shortened. "You have to do it, now. _Please_."

I closed my eyes to try to gather my thoughts. What she said was true. If the baby died inside her, it would most likely come back to eat her from the inside out. At least this way, we'd be able to save one life.

With a heavy heart, I began to retrieve my tools. I poured rubbing alcohol on to my knife, waited for it to evaporate before heating it with a lighter. Maybe we could keep her from bleeding out. "I don't have any anesthetics, Lori. This is going to hurt." _A lot_.

"Just do it!" She clenched her hand around Carl's. The boy's eyes were wide with unadulterated fear.

"Sydney, mom is going to be okay, isn't she?" His question broke my heart. There was no way I could reply to that, so I remained silent.

"I love you, my son," Lori whispered to Carl who was trying hard not to cry, but the tears were already flowing freely down his face. "I'm sorry that I couldn't be a better mother."

"Mom!" Carl threw himself on top of her, bawling as Maggie pried him away to give me an unhindered angle of Lori

I swallowed hard. It was all good in theory in my head, but I was scared. What if I cut too deeply and injured the baby? What if I do it too slowly and the baby suffocates? What if… What if…?

I let out a breath and pressed the blade into her. Her blood –curdling scream nearly made me stop, but we were already at the point of no return.

"Mom! Stop it, Sydney! You're hurting my mom! Stop!"

Tears pricked my eyes, but I quickly wiped it away with my sleeve. I couldn't let it distract me. "Come on, Lori. You're strong…" I murmured, keeping my hand steady as I ran the knife across her bulging belly. It looked so out of place on her tiny form. "You can do it…"

Her screams were deafening, but I had to keep going.

Layer after layer of skin, fat, and muscle tissues, I finally stopped. The baby was so tiny as I dug my hand in and scooped her up. Her eyes remained shut and she wasn't breathing. I gave her a tiny tap on the back and then another.

I could tell that the other were all fearing the same thing. What if the baby was a still birth?

I gave the baby another pat and was relieved to hear the tiny thing let out one big wail. I sliced the umbilical cord, tied it, and looked at Lori who was still desperately clinging to the last thread of consciousness. I couldn't imagine how painful it was for her, or did her body finally go into shock, numbing the agony?

"May baby…" Her eyes fluttered shut and we were bathed in sadness. There had never been any hope that Lori would survive the procedure, but it didn't make this moment any less dreadful.

Maggie took out her gun to finish the job, but Carl stopped her. "She's my mom. I'll do it."

"Carl, you don't have to. No one will think differently of you if you don't – "

"No! I can do it. Just give me the gun!" Carl interrupted her, snatching the black hand gun away from her own trembling hands.

I shared a look with her. The poor kid was never going to be the same – none of us were.

I rocked the infant, rocking her as I waited for it to end.

Maggie was standing with her ear against the door. "I think most of them are gone."

The alarm had also been shut off during the terrifying ordeal.

"Shh… Shh…" I bounced the small form to keep her from crying, again., but it was as if she knew what was going to happen. Her crying wouldn't cease until…

 _Bang!_

And then all was silent.

…

Daryl was in a panic when he came back from a scavenge. The prison alarm was blaring loudly and the front gate was wide open. His first thought went to his fiery redhead. Where was she? Was she okay?

He shot the first few walkers between the eyes before killing the rest with his knife and retrieved his arrows. Beside him, Rick, Shane, and Glenn were all panicking. None of them knew where the women were.

Daryl rounded another corner of the narrow corridors and took down another geek. He kept his eyes peeled for any familiar faces. There was nothing he could do but hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Even if someone he knew was walking towards him – even if it was Sydney, he'd put them out of their misery. It did none of them any good to keep their shells wandering around. He'd rather respect the person they were before and get rid of the imposter possessing their bodies.

"Girl!" Daryl called out when he reached their cell block. The entire place looked ransacked by the walking dead. Their corpses now laid motionless on the cold floor.

"Hershel, Beth, are you okay?" Glenn moved the cot away from Hershel's cell and opened the door. Daryl could recognise that bed anywhere. Sydney had barricaded the door for the old man, but where did she go? "Where's Maggie?"

The old doctor looked wearily back at the Korean man. "She went with Lori, Sydney, and Carl. Lori was going to look for Rick." His faded blue eyes were clouded with worry. "They went that way. Please, find my daughter."

Glenn quickly agreed s the two alpha males tore down the hall. Both of them seemed to be racing to get to Lori.

Daryl, however, was more cautious. He was cursing the girl for going along with the fool's errand. Hadn't she learned from last time? As much as he knew she could take care of herself, he didn't trust Lori not to do something careless and get them all killed.

Before he got too far, however, he spotted the glint of red in the darkness. The slow pace made him nervous at first, but soon, the sound of soft melodious humming reached him.

He lowered his crossbow and ran over to her.

Even in the dim lighting, he could see the tears glistening in her eyes. "Hey," he grunted, wiping them away.

"Hi," she replied, before falling into his arms. The baby was shifted away to keep her from harm.

He led her back into the cell block. Her face was covered with filth and her eyes were bloodshot from fatigue and crying. 'What happened?"

She shifted the baby, again. "Lori wanted to look for Rick, so we followed her to keep her safe, but there were so many of them. They managed to corner us. We hid in a room to wait it out. Lori, she suddenly went into labour,. We didn't have much of a choice. She told us to cut the baby out, so I did…" Her face paled as she relived the memory. "Oh, God. She was bleeding so much. It was everywhere! Carl, he wanted to be the one to do it… W-we had to leave her body be – behind…"

When she finally stopped her babbling and the tears came streaming down once more, the baby began to wail.

Daryl quickly transferred the tiny thing into his arms and bounced her up and down as Sydney tried to collect herself.

"Oh… Rick and Shane, they're going to go mad," she whispered in horror.

"'M not gonna let 'em touch ya," he promised just as the two men came back into view.

They were both panting and still arguing. "Did you find Lori?"

Everyone looked down. No one wanted to break the news to them.

"Where's Lori?" Shane growled as he took a step forward. He was glaring at everyone before settling his anger on Daryl and Sydney. "I – that the baby? Where's its mother, huh? Did you run off with the baby and leave Lori to die, so that you can pretend you can have some kind of fucked up relationship?"

"Back off!" Daryl spat back at him. "We ain't got nothin' to do with it. Lori wanted da babe, so here she is."

Shane narrowed his eyes at him and tried to snatch the baby away, but Daryl darted to the side. "She's mine!"

Rick finally snapped out of his stupor to push Shane aside. "Shane, Lori is _my_ wife. That baby is _mine_."

Shane was about to argue, but Sydney cut him off. "Lori told me that the baby belongs to Rick." She didn't have a doubt that Rick would be the better father.

"So ya still fuckin' left her there?" Shane pursued.

"I said, _back off_!" Daryl made sure to stand between the raging lunatic and his girl.

"I did it," Carl spoke up. "I made sure that she didn't turn. I killed mom and left her there."

The cell block fell silent once more before Rick disappeared without another word. Shane wasn't impressed with the declaration. "You got a kid to do the dirty work for you? Fuck!"

"I _wanted_ to do it!" Carl protested. "It's not Sydney's fault! She was my mom! I wanted to be the one to make sure she wouldn't turn into… into those _things_!"

Daryl let out a deep breath before handing the baby to Maggie and helped Sydney away from Shane. "Let's get ya cleaned up."

She stared at him with wide eyes that seemed too big for her slimmed out face.

Once they were alone, she completely broke down in his arms. He wasn't sure what to do, so he merely held her as close as he could, as if she'd disappear in a blink of an eye.

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE_

There are many fates that I contemplated changing, but Lori's wasn't one of them. I may sound like a bad person for saying this, but I was relieved when she was finally written off. In any case, Lil' Ass Kicker is finally in the story! She is so, so cute!

Thank you **galwidanatitud** for reviewing! You're really one of the only ones who keep me writing this story!

Thank you as well to everyone who have favourited and followed this story.

Please drop a review if you liked this chapter, I'd really appreciate it!


	16. Merle

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN: MERLE**

While the rest of us tried our best to accommodate the loss and new arrival, Rick remained missing since the day of Lori's passing. It had been hard on all of us, but the rough relationship they had beforehand must've weighed heavily on him. It didn't, however, excuse him of being a bad father for the infant who was currently parentless in her situation.

Carol had gone missing since the incident with the walkers. T-dog was also gone. We had feared the worst and made grave markers for each of them. All of us were depressed at the sudden deaths at a place we thought was safe.

The only person who refused to sit around and grieve was Sophia. The young girl would sneak out to look for her mother despite the dangers.

Eventually, Daryl agreed to go with her to keep her safe. It took countless hours, but miraculously, they came back with the tired mother early one morning. She had managed to lock herself in a small closet and waited everything out, but had over exhausted herself doing so.

She told us about how T-Dog had died a hero, saving her at the expense of his own life.

I was glad that Sophia had her mother again. The girl just hadn't been the same, but now, her exuberance was almost overwhelming in our current environment. It was as if all the bad things hadn't happened to her, just because she had her mother. Seeing them together made me miss my own.

Since then, Carl and Sophia had gotten together and settled on calling the new addition Judith. Baby Judy was a cute little thing. Her wide doe-like eyes melted everyone's hearts, but her cries were heartbreaking. This was no place for an infant and we were running out of food that we could mash for her. We needed some proper baby formula.

Unfortunately, the men were pretty much useless in that department, so Maggie and I decided to go on the next run with Glenn.

"Stay safe, ya here me?" Daryl grunted as he pulled me close. Despite his earlier protests, he was tamed by my reassurance. "Me an' Lil' Ass Kicker will be waitin'."

I smiled at the nickname that he had given Judith. It was just too cute. "I will, I promise." I stood there, listening to his steady heart beat. "You better have showered by the time I get back." I glared and wrinkled my nose at the grime cake in his hair.

"Yeah… Yeah…"

I shook my head at his non-committing tone. Even if he did shower, he'd just get dirty again before I came back. Dirty just seemed to gravitate towards him. I really didn't know how he did it.

Before going into the car, I gave him a quick peck on the lips, leaving him looking slightly embarrassed as Maggie and Glenn snickered.

"Start driving," I grumbled when they still had the stupid looks on their faces. "Not as if you two aren't worse than us."

"But neither of us is Daryl," Glenn joked. If he wasn't driving, I would've hit him.

The trip to the run down pharmacy was uneventful. Most of the essentials had already been scavenged. When I walked by a small box of condoms, I snatched it up and quickly hid it in my bag as if I had done something wrong. My heart raced at the aspect of actually using them. When I get back and Daryl showered, I really wanted to try it. Who knew how long any of us even had?

"Found some!" Maggie called out, snapping me out of my thoughts. 'Let's get a few more thing and head back. Don't want to keep dear Daryl waiting."

I couldn't wait until I caught them in _their_ PDA moments… Actually, I'd rather now.

I picked up a few sanitary wipes before following the two out the store. Immediately, we were assaulted by strangers who threatened our lives. Tried as I may to get free, I didn't have my weapon in range. I swung my bag at the two men who were leering at me.

They batted it away with their weapons. As I fended myself from one of them, the other got behind me and an explosion of pain made my world go black.

…

 _"Shh… Stop crying," I tried to hush the crying baby. I didn't know what was wrong with her. I tried feeding her, checking her diaper, lulling her to sleep, making funny faces, but none of them helped. She just kept crying._

 _Arms wrapped themselves around me and a stubbly chin raked across my cheek. "Havin' trouble with da lil' one?"_

 _I huffed. "I don't know what's wrong with her. She won't stop crying."_

 _"Maybe she just needs her pa." He gently took her into his arms and instantly, she stopped crying. He bounced the baby in his arms until she was giggling and slobbering all over the two of them. "See? Wha' did I tell ya?"_

 _I shook my head. "Dad's girl…"_

 _"Dat's right." He smirked, proudly. "Just like her mama."_

 _I hummed, snuggling against him after he tucked her into her little crib. He had surprised me with it one day – made it himself and painted it a deep, forest green. I loved it._

 _"Think our girl is ready for a lil' sibling, yet?" He nuzzled the side of my neck. "'S why she's been crying when you're near her."_

 _"Yeah? Did she tell you that?"_

 _"Didn't I tell ya dat I can speak baby?" His hand trailed up my thighs as he pressed closer against me._

 _I playfully pushed his face away. "That's a talent I didn't know you have. Too bad the baby's mama isn't ready to have another one, yet."_

 _"Tomorrow, then."_

 _Before I could reply, I heard a shrill cry that made me jolt out of bed to see what was wrong. The crib suddenly seemed so much further away. I ran and ran for miles before reaching her squirming form. The thin blanket was covering her face._

 _I carefully peeled the soft cloth away and let out a loud scream._

 _My baby's face had been skinned. Her once beautiful brown eyes were faded and held no sign of humanity._

 _"Daryl! Daryl!" I sobbed, crying for him. This couldn't be happening. No, anyone but my baby…_

 _He came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. I turned to bury my face into his shirt, but caught a glance at the pulsing flesh consuming half his features._

 _I tried to get away, but he held on tight, gnashing his teeth at me. A trail of blood and saliva dripped down his chin._

 _"No! Stop! Daryl, stop!" I screamed just as he bit down._

…

I jolted awake and felt pain explode around me. For a moment, I thought I was still in the dream, but there was no crib and no Daryl. I was in a cold, cubic room. My hands were chained behind my back and I had no idea what was happening when two arms sat me down on a wooden chair in front of a small table.

"Good, you're awake." A mean I didn't recognise was looking at me with a smile. His dark hair and eyes didn't immediately send alarms through my mind, but there was a lingering feeling of comfortable anxiety.

I remembered being assaulted by someone. Unless he was the one to save me from those people, he was the one to take me in the first place. "Wh…" My voice cracked. "Who are you?"

"I'm the Governor and before you ask, you're in my town – Woodbury. Welcome," his amiable tone didn't match my situation. I was not a welcomed presence here, not with my arms tied, and definitely not with a gun pointed at my head.

When he noticed what I was staring at, he gestured for the tanned man to leave the room. It really didn't make me feel much better. I was completely vulnerable in this state.

"What do you want with me… Governor?" I spat. "Where're my friends?"

He crossed his legs. His piercing eyes seemed to be reading every twitch of my body. "Your two friends are fine. No need to worry about them. They have each other. You, on the other hand, what is it like being the third wheel? I doubt they like having you around whenever they want some privacy. But then again, perhaps you have a much larger group with you. Is there someone waiting for you to return? IF you tell me, we can work together for a better future."

I clamped my lips shut as his motives began to become clear. He wanted information on our group. If he truly wanted a peaceful alliance, eh would never have taken us in this manner. NO, he wanted what we had and then, he was most likely going to get rid of anyone who could pose as a threat to his authority. "There's no one else." I glared at him.

"This could be made very easily for you, Sydney." I didn't want to know how he knew my name. "Or you can force me to do things that I don't want to do, but you'd have no one to blame but yourself."

It was amazing how well he could veil the threat in his voice. He made it sound as if we were merely deciding what to have for lunch – if it was indeed still afternoon.

I tilted my face away from him in clear defiance.

"That's alright. I'll give you time to think." He stood up. "Maybe I'll be able to convince you otherwise in the mean time."

I refused to give him the satisfaction of a reaction as he left. To be honest, I just didn't want to have any hints of what he was going to do to me. I was scared. I wanted to return to the confines of my cell with Daryl laying beside me.

I sat in complete silence for only a moment before I heard Glenn and Maggie shout from the cell beside mine. I banged on the wall, calling out to them, but whatever was happening, they weren't able to respond to me.

Helplessly, I sat against the wall, hoping that they were both alright.

…

Merle was casually prowling the cells, wondering who the Governor had kept in there. He strolled over to the current guard and struck up a conversation with him. The thug didn't know any specifics, but was able to tell him that there were actually three people confined here.

It was suspicious. The Governor rarely kept prisoners around. He usually killed them on the spot and loot what was there. This must've meant that he found people with a strong group that he wasn't willing to approach blindly.

As he pondered this, the Governor and Martinez slipped out of the cells and locked the door behind him. Merle stayed around until two other guards walked by.

"Boss man wants us to… rattle the Brit a little," one of them snickered. "You know what I think we should do?" He thrust his hip up and down while the other man laughed.

Merle narrowed his eyes at them before heading straight to one of the cells, hoping to get to the right one. He unlocked the metal latch and walked in before quickly closing the door behind him.

Inside was a huddle form. Her flaming red hair was wild as she glared at him with angry green orbs.

"Whoa there, sweet cheeks." He held his hands up with a grin. "Ole Merle ain't gonna hurt ya." In his hand was the bag that he had swiped outside the cell. He began to carelessly rifle through it. There wasn't much of interest. He took out a small box of condoms and shook it. She must've been hoping for some action before they took her away – too bad. He appreciated a good laid.

When he moved on to the side pocket, he froze and slipped out a familiar dagger.

The girl's eyes widened and she snarled at him. "Don't touch that!"

He tutted her, knowing that she wouldn't be able to do anything to him with her arms behind her back. "This ain't yours. Where did ya get it from?"

She pursed her lips and refused to reply, so he walked up closer and crouched down. "Come on. If ya tell me, I'll put in a good word for ya."

Instead of answering, she reared her head back and slammed their foreheads together. There was a collective groan of pain, but she quickly darted off towards the door like a squirrel. The damn girl was quick.

Before she even managed to reach the door, he was already pulling her back. She let out a cry of frustration and tied to struggle away, but it was futile. He was much stronger than her. "Shh… Shh…" He breathed into her ear. "Ya don't wanna go out there. I ain't gonna hurt ya, but I can't say da same for those fine gentlemen out there." She shifted his grip until she was completely immobile against him. "Merle just wants ta know who you got da knife from. Is ma brother dead? Did you pry dat knife out of his cold fingers?"

Her breath caught her throat when she heard the name. "You're his brother?" she whispered in disbelief.

"Day's ole Merle here. Now, I just need to know if he's still alive."

She slumped forward before nodding. "He's waiting for me to get back. Please… Please, Merle. If you ever cared about him, let us go."

He shook his head. "Told ya there are men outside, but I'll see what I can do to make ya stay better."

He gently set her back on the chair where she continued to slump forward until her head was resting on the table.

There wasn't much he could do now, but if his brother really was waiting for her, it wouldn't take him long to be here.

…

Daryl had gone on a short hunt, bringing back a couple of squirrels and proceeded to take a shower afterwards. The cold water pelting his back felt nice, but he didn't see much point in it. He was just going to get dirty again after.

There was something in her eyes before she left, though. There was a secret promise that got him excited and wished that he could just pull her back into his arms and never let go.

"How ya doin', Lil' Ass Kicker?" he asked the gurgling baby who wiggled around in response. "Gonna get ya some real baby food, soon. Just need ta wait for ya Aunt Sydney ta come back."

From behind him, he heard Carol speak up. "You're really good with her. Did you have any younger siblings of your own?"

"Naw," he grunted. "Had a lil' cousin who used ta come every once in a while ta visit, but da old man eventually scared him off." His father was the epitome of human trash. He had nothing good to contribute to the world and only used up space. When his mother killed herself, it only got worse. There was actually a time many years ago when things weren't that bad, but the past was the past. All he had now were his memories.

"Daryl, I never had the chance to thank you for saving me," Carol said, sitting down beside him. "If it wasn't for you, I would've…"

"'S nothin'," he replied. "Was Sophia who persuaded us ta keep looking. Have a nice girl there. Glad that nothin' happened ta her before. Nothin' that permanently took her away from us, I mean." He had quickly corrected himself as he recalled what had happened to the young girl.

Carol nodded. "I'm glad she's back where I can protect her, but maybe she's also protecting me, now. Sophia has become so much stronger than I was at her age." She was a mother proud of how far her little girl had come from the screaming child who can from walkers and got lost in the woods. "I think it's all thanks to you. You and Carl have been such a detrimental part of her life since all of this…"

"It's nothin'," he repeated, looking away. "Syd's been a great role model, too."

Carol wanted to argue, but decided against it. She patted his knee and walked away.

Daryl spent a few more minutes with Judith before passing her off to Hershel, who had been observing them with his wise eyes. "You're treading on dangerous grounds," he told the hunter. "It's a mixed blessing to have two women care for you as they do."

"Ain't nothin' ya have ta worry about," he grumbled. He knew who he'd choose every time.

It wasn't long when another worry settled between them. "They've been gone a long time," Hershel whispered, making sure not to wake the sleeping baby. "They should be back by now."

Daryl knew what he was talking about. The drug store wasn't that far away from here. Unless something had happened, they should've been back. "I'll go look for 'em."

He was retrieving his crossbow when Beth shouted an alert. Someone had wandered to the prison. He quickly rushed out to see a dark-skinned woman with a headband and sword. In her hands, however, were two baskets full of baby supplies.

Shane was on her in a moment. "What did you do to them?!" he demanded.

The woman glared back at him, completely unfazed by the rage directed towards her. "If you let me in, I will tell you."

They looked at each other in a silent discussion before Daryl opened the gate for the strange woman. Maybe she'd know where the three had gone.

"Where are they?" Shane asked, again. Since Lori's death, he had been on a continuous rampage, taxing on the rest of the group.

"They were taken," she told them. "Men from Woodbury had taken them as they were exiting the store. I wanted to help, but there were too many of them. I could tell that they probably have a group somewhere, so I searched around. Maybe you could help them instead."

Daryl felt his own anger rise. "Tell me where Woodbury is, right now." How dare they take her away from him?

The woman, who soon introduced herself as Michonne, had no qualms giving up the information. All she wanted was a change to kill the leader herself. Daryl wasn't sure if he could grant her this once he saw the bastard.

The atmosphere was heavy when they were about to leave. Shane had disappeared shortly and returned with Rick who looked like he was a new man, again. Neither of them would say what happened, but everyone was just glad that Rick seemed to finally be out of his slump.

"Alright, we need to surprise them," their leader figure said. And from this, he had their plan detailed. His new found clarity was wonderful.

Since Lori revealed that she was pregnant, the Sheriff was slowly becoming a shell of himself. Ironically, Shane managed to dig him back out, despite everything that had happened.

"Daryl, bring back Sydney, okay?" Sophia was staring at him with wide eyes. She had Judith in her arms and her doll's arms was being slobbered all over by the baby.

He nodded. "I promise." He was going to do anything to keep that promise.

She smiled back at him, but couldn't stop the worry that was nagging at her. Sure, she wanted Sydney to come back safely. She wanted all three of them to be safe! However, what if neither of them came back?

Sophia clung on to Judith. She wished that she was a baby, again, and didn't have to worry about anything.

"It'll be okay," Carl told her. "Dad will bring them back."

She wished that she could believe him.

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE_

Here's the next chapter! I haven't forgotten about this story. I just haven't been as motivated with the show being absent for so long. I do watch Fear the Walking Dead, but it's really not the same. I'm so excited for the season premiere! Last year, I went over to my friend's house to watch it because I don't have the channel, I'm hoping to do the same this year. There's just something very satisfying with watching a show when it's airing.

And Merle! I finally have him in the story! He's going to be someone interesting to write about!

Thank you **galwidanatitud** for reviewing! I want to believe that despite them loving the same person, Shane and Rick would always have a camaraderie that is still present and will renew once she's gone.

Thank you as well to everyone who has favourited and followed this story!

I'm really hoping to hear from you guys whether you like this story or not!


	17. Brothers

**Warning: Spoilers for Season Seven at the very bottom after I thank everyone. Scroll slowly and carefully near the end.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: BROTHERS**

I sat there, staring at nothing in particular, but my mind was racing. There was an instant bout of regret when I told that man that Daryl was alive and nearby. What if he wasn't actually Daryl's brother? I never received any proof myself. What if it was all a trap? What did I just do?

My heart continued to sink as my thoughts went back to the dream. I wouldn't be able to bear it if Daryl turned into one of those things. Could I even find it in myself to kill him if the time ever came – that is, if I didn't rot in here first?

Although no one had come back to harass me, they also omitted any sustenance from entering the cell. In the small enclosure, I had absolutely no perception of time. How long had I been confined here? Were Glenn and Maggie alright? I hadn't heard a peep from them for a while. It was really worrying me.

Suddenly, the door opened. Seemed that I had spoken far too soon.

The Governor strolled in, a smirk on his face. "Bring her out and take her to Milton."

I immediately sat up and tried to kick anyone who tried to get close. When one came around the back of the chair, I tilted it forward before slamming the leg back down on to his foot. He gave a loud howl of pain as I darted to the right and tried to get past the Governor.

Unfortunately, he was much quicker than I thought. His hand reached out and grabbed me as I ran by. His fingers instantly left bruising pain on my arm. "Don't you want to contribute to the cure?" he hissed. His other hand tugged my hair down, so that I was staring straight at him.

"Fuck you," I spat back, panting heavily.

He narrowed his eyes at me before pushing me into the arms of another man. "Martinez, make sure she doesn't escape on the way there," he commanded.

With a nod of his head, he looked down at me before bringing the butt of the gun down.

…

 _"Syd?" The hair on his face had grown to the irritating stubbly state that he insisted on keeping. It scratched me as he left a trail of the butterfly kisses down the side of my neck. "Awake, now?"_

 _I sighed, opening my eyes and pulling him into a kiss. "Mm… Did I fall asleep?"_

 _"Yeah. Thought I was boring ya," he grunted._

 _Laughing, I shook my head. "I must've just been exhausted. I don't even remember falling asleep, but you would never bore me."_

 _He seemed reassured by my words. "Time to get up. Rick'll be comin' over for dinner, soon."_

 _Dinner? I looked out the window and saw that the sun was indeed setting. The beautiful burnt orange bathed the room in its dimming glow. How had I not noticed it before? "I didn't get to prepare the chicken!" I suddenly exclaimed. "What are we going to eat? I don't want Rick to think I'm a poor wife to you."_

 _He chuckled at my frantic words. "You'll never be a bad wife, Syd. I called for delivery earlier. Food should be comin', soon. Just need ya ta get dressed. Ain't nobody gonna see ya like dis, except me. Got it?"_

 _With a smile, I threw the covers off me and rummaged through the dresser._

 _"'Ey!" he protested, ridding himself of the cover that was draped haphazardly on his head. "Gonna make ya pay for that."_

 _His voice suddenly changed and I turned back to see someone else in the room with me. His calm demeanor and chilling smile made me want to bolt the other way. "Milton is ready for you."_

 _My surrounds completely changed and I was suddenly strapped to a cold, metal table. A faceless man leaned over with a sharp knife in his hand. The blade was covered in gore and it was dripping on to my naked body._

 _I screamed and screamed as I felt its sharp edge press against my skin._

 _"Shh… It'll all be fine, Sydney," he told me. "Just close your eyes."_

 _I shook my head and thrashed around as much as I could._

 _"Sydney, be a good girl, now."_

 _"Sydney…"_

"Sydney!"

…

My eyes snapped open and I struck the person holding me. "'Ey! 'Ey!" the person grunted back in pain. It wasn't until my vision cleared did I realise who was holding me.

"Daryl!" I sobbed as I wrapped my arms around him. He pulled me close, burying his face into my hair.

With ease, I was lifted up, still comfortable cradled in his arms. "Gonna kill 'em bastards," he growled, walking out.

Maggie and Glenn were staring back at us with wide eyes. I was glad that they were alright.

"Get 'em to the truck," Rick told him.

Daryl seemed conflicted, but agreed nonetheless. "Come on."

"I can walk," I told him. He looked back down at me with annoyance, but put me down on to my feet where I promptly made a pool of myself. My vision swirled around and I couldn't seem to gain my balance.

He quickly steadied me and checked the multiple bumps on my head. The most recent one was still crusted with blood. "'Ere. Put it on ya head." He had ripped the sleeve of his shirt and pressed it on the wound. I winched, but appreciated the gesture. I could tell that I was one of his newer shirts. There was also a freshly showered scent to him.

I smiled.

"What ya smilin' 'bout, girl?" He shot me an odd look.

"Nothing," I replied, trying to take my first step, but had to be supported by Daryl, again. "'M sorry," I mumbled. It was frustrating that my limbs didn't seem to want to cooperate.

Without a word, he picked me back up.

"I have your back," Glenn announced as we began to move through the night.

There were screams and shouts throughout Woodbury. It was absolute chaos when someone caught a glimpse of us. Their soldiers began to rapidly fire in our direction.

"Go! Go!" Rick shouted pointing towards the high fences.

Maggie and Glenn went first, quickly scrambling into the old truck. Daryl and I were accompanied by Rick, while Oscar brought up the rear.

"Almost there," Daryl whispered to me, running as fast as he could with me as dead weight.

There was a familiar cry of pain behind us. I clamped my eyes shut, knowing that it must've been Oscar. Although I never got to truly know the big guy, he had always been kind to me.

Just as we were steps away from the truck, I suddenly felt us tip over to the side. Daryl's body was half draped on top of mine. "Daryl? Daryl!" I patted his cheeks, but he was completely out.

I looked up to see Martinez hovering over us with three other men leering downward. "Rick!" I tried to tell them that we were still here, but I could already hear the vehicle starting up and disappearing into the darkness. It was almost reminiscent to the night at the farm.

"Take them to the Governor," Martinez instructed.

Two men grabbed Daryl and began to drag him back into the town, while Martinez took it upon himself to transport me. "Guess you're out of luck," he sneered.

They took us back to the cells where Daryl was thrown in first before locking me into the one beside him. This time, they hadn't bothered to chain me up. I curled into a ball, trying not to breakdown, again.

If only I wasn't so useless. We could've gotten away if Daryl didn't need to carry me. What had Oscar died for? The poor man was so brave.

My only consolation was that the rest of them were safe.

"Sydney! Sydney!" I suddenly heard him yell. "Don't ya fuckin' hurt 'er!"

I banged on the metal walls. "Daryl! I'm here!"

He instantly quieted down and I waited for him to say something – anything.

"Did they hurt ya?"

I shook my head before giving him a verbal reply. "I'm okay. What about you?"

"'M fine," he mumbled. It was barely audible, but enough to calm me down. "Gonna kill 'em if I get ma hands on 'em."

After the entire world all but burned around me, I didn't think I'd find anything close to civilisation. Now that I have, I wish I hadn't. This was only a façade of a town, housing savages. I'd rather go against a hoard of the dead than even a handful of human who thought they could play God.

My mind drifted to the odd man who had claimed to be Daryl's brother. Where was Merle, now? Had he been one of the men shooting at us or was he hoping that no one killed his little brother? Would he come help us, now?

Daryl and I were conversing as quietly as we could through the wall. It was nothing in particular, mainly for comfort and company. Our spirits were low and this was all we had.

Even that, however, was taken from us as I heard Daryl shout from the other side. I desperately called out his name, hoping for some confirmation that he was alright.

Minutes later, Martinez slammed the doors open. He strolled in and grabbed my prone form from the floor. I was dragged out without much of a fight. All I wanted was to be with Daryl, again. The circumstances no longer mattered.

"And do you know who betrayed us?" I heard the Governor ask the mob of Woodbury citizens who looked as if they were out for blood. "The very brother of one of our intruders!"

The crowd roared as the lights fell on Merle who looked confused. I couldn't tell if he was pretending or not, but he definitely didn't look happy at the accusation. When Daryl was pushed into the circle arena with him, realisation lit up his eyes.

I watched anxiously as the two seemed to circle each other. The Governor wanted them to fight. He wanted Merle to prove his loyalty to these fiends. When Merle struck first, I couldn't stop the scream from escaping my lips. I tried to get to them, but Martinez held me back. His face remained impassive.

The Governor signalled to a few of his men who pushed several walkers into the arena with clamps around their decaying necks. They snapped their teeth at the brothers who quickly found a common enemy.

"Daryl, behind you!" I shouted, seeing him nearly backed into the walker who was about to take a bite out of him.

He side stepped away and stared straight at me. His brother looked at the two of us before muttering something in his direction.

Daryl snatched a knife away from one of the men and began to take down the walkers one by one.

The Governor was not happy to see this turn of events. He ordered his men to ready their guns. It was only then, when he turned his face, did I notice that he had gauze around one eye. Blood could be seen seeping through the mesh. Who had injured him? Was it a stray bullet or did someone try to assassinate him? I wouldn't be surprised if the latter was true. He must've made quite a few enemies since the world ended.

Amidst the chaos, most of the men began to gather around the Dixons who seemed to be holding their own veryw ell.

"Go."

I twirled around to look at the man behind me. Surprise couldn't even begin to describe what I was feeling. "What?"

"Do you really want to stay here?" He raised an eyebrow at me.

I fervently shook my head, continuing to stare in disbelief as a smirk spread across his typically stoic countenance.

"Then go," he repeated. "Don't expect an easy escape. I'll be alerting the Governor as soon as I get to him."

Without needing anymore encouragement, I raced towards Daryl who quickly signalled to Merle.

My heart was pounding in my chest as we hurried out of Woodbury. Outside was a familiar truck. It seemed that Rick and the others hadn't abandoned us, after all. We climbed on to the back and let out sighs of relief when the truck raced away.

"Daryl." I clung on to him. Safe. We were finally safe!

There was a moment of comfort and happiness before someone I had never met before spoke up. "He's _not_ coming with us," the dark-skinned woman spat out, glaring at Merle who smirked back at her. "After what he's done in Woodbury, he should not be allowed back!"

I could see the conflict in Rick's eyes as he continued to press down on the gas pedal.

"'Ey! He's ma brother! I ain't goin' nowhere without 'em!" Daryl growled, his grip on my waiste tightening.

"But Daryl, we have more people to worry about, now," Glenn said. "You know how he would get. Maybe… Maybe we can just leave him with some supplies and send him on his way."

"Ain't happenin'." Daryl refused to compromise. "If he goes, I go with him."

My heart immediately dropped. He better not be thinking what I thought he was thinking. "Dar – "

"Ya should head back ta da prison," he told me as if he was merely going to go on a scavenge instead of possibly leaving me forever.

"No!" I wasn't going to give him a chance to do this to me. I didn't have much else to lose in this world and he had become the very person to fill that void inside me. "You're not leaving me behind like some old baggage. Either I come with you or I'll stalk you!"

"Guys…" Glenn was beginning to look nervous at the argument and probably the prospect of losing two from the group.

"Let's go back to the prison to figure everything out," Rick tried to pacify the situation.

"Always da peacemaker, ain't cha, Officer Friendly?" Merle sneered.

"Merle, shut it," Daryl mumbled.

The brother grunted back something incoherent, but didn't pursue it any further.

Once the roads became more familiar, Daryl told Rick to stop the truck. The two brothers hopped off first before looking at me.

"Sydney, you don't have to go," Maggie said, looking sadly at me.

I looked away from her. I was going to miss them, but I could adjust to that. "I'm sorry, Maggie. This doesn't have to be the last time we see each other, though." With that, I followed the brothers out.

Daryl held me as the car lingered for only a minute longer before driving away into the distance. "I'm sorry," he whispered to me.

I kissed his chin. "It's not your fault. I understand."

"'Ey! Stop da lovey-dovey stuff, Darlina!" Merle heckled.

"Shuddup, Merle," Daryl growled back. "'S your fault we're out here in da middle of nowhere!"

"Didn't ask ya ta come wit' me," Merle retorted. "Ya coulda stayed wit' those pussies!"

Daryl didn't bother gracing him with a reply. Instead, he took my hand and led me deeper into the forest. IN his other hand was his crossbow.

We walked endlessly with Merle talking and cussing the entire time. I could understand why Rick and the others were wary with allowing him back into the group. He was incredibly loud and crass. I wouldn't want him near the children.

"Darlina musta been really showin' off ta get a girl like ya," he rambled on.

"Here," Daryl stopped by a small creek and handed me the dagger. How had he gotten it back? "Swiped it ta kill da geeks."

Ah… that's the one. I smiled and happily tucked it through my belt loop. "Thank you."

Looking around, I realised that this was probably right up Daryl's alley. He looked upset, but comfortable with the surroundings.

From the corner of my eyes, I saw him raise his crossbow. In a moment, there was a dead bird falling from a tree. The poor thing was soon joined by two squirrels and a rabbit.

We were going to feast tonight.

As I started a small fire, Merle was hitting every tree with a stick and shouting at the top of his lungs. Several stragglers stumbled in and he quickly disposed of them. "Gotta ring da dinner bell!"

Even when everything else was quiet, he continued to hit everything in sight like a hyperactive child. At one point, I was afraid that his stick – weapon… thing was going to stab me in the eye.

Daryl glared at him and Merle stopped prowling around me.

"I'm glad the nights aren't like in London," I told no one in particular. "It's always cold and rainy there – some random thunderstorms, too." I tilted my head to look up at the darkening sky peeking through the trees.

"I wouldn't mind da cold," I heard Daryl speak from beside me. When did he get so close? "Gives me a reason ta hold ya." A small blush bled into his cheeks, past the grime that I was used to seeing on him.

"You never need to have a reason to hold me, Daryl," I told him, leaning against his warm body.

His arms instinctively wrapped themselves around me.

"God damn it! Stop bein' pussy whipped!"

Not even Merle could ruin this moment for us.

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE_

 _ **Spoiler Alert. Slowly scroll down and stop after I thank everyone if you're not up to date with The Walking Dead.**_

Sydney is back with Daryl, again! Even if it's without the group, I'm happy to write them together. Too bad they have a very loud third wheel around now…

Thank you **waistedyouth, galwidanatitud, GreyMoonHuntress** , and **ashtyn2188** for reviewing!

Thank you as well to everyone who has favourited and followed this story!

I'd love to hear from all of you!

 _ **SPOILER ALERT**_

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After six months, I was kind of disappointed that I wasn't surprised who was murdered. Glenn was almost a sure thing as sad as I am about it and Abraham had always been a possibility for me. Not only that, how long they dragged it out in the beginning of that episode just made me want to pull my hair out! _**What did you guys think**_? Overall, it wasn't a bad season premiere and I still definitely love the show. I'm definitely looking forward to next week with Negan's group and Daryl. _**Who else is excited for that**_?


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